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Comparison of an Australian food-frequency questionnaire with diet records: implications for nutrition surveillance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2007

GL Ambrosini ,
D Mackerras ,
NH de Klerk  and
AW Musk
GL Ambrosini*
Affiliation:
School of Population Health, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
D Mackerras
Affiliation:
Menzies School of Health Research, Casuarina, Northern Territory 0811, Australia
NH de Klerk
Affiliation:
School of Population Health, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
AW Musk
Affiliation:
School of Population Health, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia Department of Respiratory Medicine, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Nedlands, Western Australia 6009, Australia
*
*Corresponding author: Email ginaa@sph.uwa.edu.au
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Abstract

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Objectives:

To compare a widely used Australian food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) with diet records and consider the results in relation to its use in nutrition surveillance.

Design:

Inter-method reliability study.

Setting:

A randomised trial in subjects with past asbestos exposure.

Subjects:

Seventy-two adults living in Western Australia.

Methods:

A semi-quantitative FFQ developed by the Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation in South Australia was administered after the completion of four 7-day diet records (DRs).

Results:

Mean agreement between methods was not significantly different from 100% for many nutrients, but the limits of agreement indicated that, at the individual level, the FFQ over- or underestimated the DR by at least 50%. Mean agreement between methods decreased significantly with increasing intakes for the majority of nutrients. Pearson's correlation coefficients were less informative indicators of agreement compared with the limits of agreement.

Conclusions:

These results indicate poor agreement between the FFQ and DR when estimating absolute intakes. Therefore, comparing intakes collected using this FFQ with specific cut-off points such as Recommended Dietary Intakes for nutrition surveillance may lead to seriously flawed conclusions about population intakes.

Keywords

Food-frequency questionnaireReliabilityValidityDiet recordsNutrition surveys
Type
Research Article
Information
Public Health Nutrition , Volume 6 , Issue 4 , June 2003 , pp. 415 - 422
Copyright
Copyright © CABI Publishing 2003

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