Validity of a new food frequency questionnaire for pregnant women in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa)

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to examine the relative validity of foods and nutrients calculated by a new food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa). Reference measures were a 4-day weighed food diary (FD), a motion sensor for measuring total energy expenditure, one 24-h urine collection for analysis of nitrogen and iodine excretion, and a venous blood specimen for analysis of plasma 25-hydroxy-vitamin D and serum folate. A total of 119 women participated in the validation study, and 112 completed the motion sensor registration. Overall, the level of agreement between the FFQ and the FD was satisfactory, and significant correlations were found for all major food groups and for all nutrients except vitamin E. The average correlation coefficient between the FFQ and the FD for daily intake was 0.48 for foods and 0.36 for nutrients, and on average, 68% of the participants were classified into the same or adjacent quintiles by the two methods. Estimated total energy expenditure indicated that under-reporting of energy intake was more extensive with the FD than with the FFQ. The biological markers confirmed that the FFQ was able to distinguish between high and low intakes of nutrients, as measured by vitamin D, folate, protein and iodine. This validation study indicates that the MoBa FFQ produces reasonable valid intake estimates and is a valid tool to rank pregnant women according to low and high intakes of energy, nutrients and foods.

Pregnancy‐Related Risk Factors Are Associated With a Significant Burden of Treated Hypertension Within 10 Years of Delivery: Findings From a Population‐Based Norwegian Cohort

“…Dietary intake was obtained from a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire developed specifically for the MoBa, and administered in the 22nd week of pregnancy 29. The MoBa food frequency questionnaire has been validated in substudies using a 4‐day weighted food diary, motion sensors, and biological markers 30, 31. A poor diet quality indicator variable was created on the basis of having a high sodium/potassium ratio (top quartile, ≥0.88) or a low dietary calcium or low magnesium intake (<736 or <310 mg/d, respectively) given the available evidence of their importance in hypertension 32, 33, 34.…”

Prenatal mercury exposure and infant birth weight in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study

“…FoodCalc (35) and the Norwegian food composition table (36) were used to calculate food and nutrient intakes. The FFQ has been extensively validated in a MoBa sub-population (n 119) using a 4 d weighed food diary and biological markers in blood and urine as reference measures (37) . The validation study showed that the MoBa FFQ is a valid instrument for assessing habitual diet during the first four to five months of pregnancy.…”

Is consumption of sugar‐sweetened soft drinks during pregnancy associated with birth weight?

“…Assessments of other food, nutrient, and energy intakes during the pregnancy were based on data from a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire specifically developed and validated for pregnant women in MoBa (Q2 at 22 weeks of pregnancy, where average intakes during the first half of pregnancy were reported, described in detail elsewhere) (Brantsaeter, Haugen, Alexander, & Meltzer, 2008, Meltzer, Brantsaeter, Ydersbond, Alexander, & Haugen, 2008). Energy intake from protein, fat, carbohydrates, added sugar, and SSC, and intake of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) was calculated from food frequencies using FoodCalc (Lauritsen, 2002) and the Norwegian Food Composition Table (Rimestad et al, 2001).…”