Validation of a culturally appropriate quantitative food frequency questionnaire for Inuvialuit population in the Northwest Territories, Canada

Abstract

Background: The estimation of dietary intake in population‐based studies is often assessed by a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). This present study aimed to establish the validity of a 142‐item quantitative FFQ (QFFQ) developed to assess dietary intake in a population living in the Northwest Territories, Canada, and undergoing rapid nutrition transition. Methods: Sixty‐four randomly selected Inuvialuit adults were recruited. The mean of one to three 24‐h recalls was used as the reference to measure the validity of the QFFQ. Spearman rank correlations (ρ), cross‐classification and weighted kappa were computed as measures of concordance, adjusting for the daily dietary intake variations in the recalls. Bland – Altman plots were used for additional assessment. Results: Four participants with daily energy intake of >25.1 MJ were not included in the analysis. For all nutrients, mean daily intake estimations were higher from the QFFQ than from the recalls. De‐attenuated ρ’s for macronutrients ranged from 0.33 (protein) to 0.45 (carbohydrate). The best de‐attenuated ρ amongst micronutrients was observed for vitamin C (0.53). Overall correlation between the two dietary tools improved after correction for within‐person variance (from 0.32 to 0.35). When nutrient intakes were categorised into quartiles, the QFFQ and 24‐h recalls indicated relative agreement (same or adjacent quartiles) for 77% for energy and macronutrients, 86% for total sugar and 72% for micronutrients. Bland–Altman plots showed a tendency for increased scatter of the differences at higher intakes. Conclusions: The QFFQ developed is valid and can be used to assess usual dietary intake and dietary adequacy, determine the contribution of foods to specific nutrient intakes, and identify dietary risk factors for chronic disease amongst Inuvialuit.

Frequency of consumption of foods and beverages by Inuvialuit adults in Northwest Territories, Arctic Canada

“…A culturally appropriate QFFQ that had been developed specifically and validated for Inuvialuit populations in these communities was used to collect data on frequency of consumption of foods and beverages (Sharma et al 2009;Pakseresht and Sharma 2010). Data on demographic information and the socioeconomic status (SES) of the participants were also collected.…”

“…Frequency of consumption (times/day) was calculated as follows: never was converted to 0 time/day, one time/month to 0.03 time/day, 2-3 times/month to 0.08 time/day, 1 time/week to 0.14 time/day, 2-3 times/week to 0.36 time/day, 4 -6 times/week to 0.71 time/day, 1 time/day remained the same and 2 or more times/day was converted to 2 times/day. The QFFQ had been validated previously against three 24-hour dietary recalls and showed good agreement (Pakseresht and Sharma 2010).…”

“…As a part of the HFN programme, a quantitative food frequency questionnaire (QFFQ) listing 141 commonly consumed traditional and non-traditional food items was developed and validated specifically for this population (Pakseresht and Sharma 2010;Sharma 2010). The aim of this study was to use the validated QFFQ to determine the frequency of consumption of traditional and non-traditional store-bought foods and beverages by a representative sample of Inuvialuit adults living in three remote communities in the Beaufort Delta region of NWT.…”

Impact of the Healthy Foods North nutrition intervention program on Inuit and Inuvialuit food consumption and preparation methods in Canadian Arctic communities

“…Culturally appropriate quantitative food frequency questionnaires (QFFQ) were used to assess dietary intake at both time points. These QFFQs were previously developed and validated specifically for Inuit and Inuvialuit populations and were designed to assess dietary intake in the respective communities [33,34]. Participants were asked to report frequency of consumption over a 30-day period choosing from eight categories which ranged from “never” to “two or more times per day.” Participants reported average portion size using food models to increase participants’ accuracy of quantification.…”

Improving vitamin A and D intake among Inuit and Inuvialuit in Arctic Canada: evidence from the Healthy Foods North study

“…Culturally appropriate quantitative food frequency questionnaires (QFFQ) previously developed19 20 and validated21 22 for the populations were used to assess dietary intake. The questionnaire collected information on the typical frequency of food and beverage consumption over the past 30-day period classified into eight categories ranging from ‘never’ to ‘2 or more times per day’.…”