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Validity and reliability of the Block98 food-frequency questionnaire in a sample of Canadian women

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2007

Beatrice Boucher ,
Michelle Cotterchio ,
Nancy Kreiger ,
Victoria Nadalin ,
Torin Block  and
Gladys Block
Beatrice Boucher*
Affiliation:
Division of Preventive Oncology, Cancer Care Ontario, 620 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5G 2L7
Michelle Cotterchio
Affiliation:
Division of Preventive Oncology, Cancer Care Ontario, 620 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5G 2L7 Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Nancy Kreiger
Affiliation:
Division of Preventive Oncology, Cancer Care Ontario, 620 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5G 2L7 Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Victoria Nadalin
Affiliation:
Division of Preventive Oncology, Cancer Care Ontario, 620 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5G 2L7
Torin Block
Affiliation:
Block Dietary Data Systems, Berkeley, CA, USA
Gladys Block
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
*
*Corresponding author: Email [email protected]
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Abstract

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Objective

To assess the validity and reliability of the most recent adaptation of Block's full-diet food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) among a sample of Canadian women.

Design

Participants completed a self-administered FFQ (FFQ1), two unannounced 24-hour recalls (weekday and weekend) and a second FFQ (FFQ2) between October 2003 and February 2004. FFQs and recalls were analysed for 32 nutrients using Block Dietary Data Systems and the University of Minnesota's Nutrient Data System. Mean and median intakes were computed, along with crude and deattenuated Pearson correlation coefficients between FFQ1 and the average of two recalls (validity) and between FFQ1 and FFQ2 (reliability).

Setting

Ontario, Canada.

Subjects

A random population-based sample (n = 166) of women aged 25 to 74 years.

Results

One hundred and fifteen (69%) women completed FFQ1, 96 completed FFQ1 and both recalls, and 93 completed both FFQs, about 56 days apart. Mean intakes were similar for most nutrients. FFQ reliability was high, with Pearson correlation coefficients having a median of 0.75, ranging from 0.57 to 0.90 (macronutrients) and from 0.65 to 0.88 (micronutrients from supplements and food). FFQ validity was moderate to high, with deattenuated Pearson correlation coefficients having a median of 0.59, ranging from 0.11 to 0.73 (macronutrients) and from 0.50 to 0.76 (micronutrients from supplements and food). Our micronutrient correlations were similar to or higher than those of other studies that included supplements. Two correlations <0.40 were associated with fats.

Conclusions

The validity and reliability of this full-diet version of the Block FFQ were moderate to high, supporting its use in future studies among Canadian women.

Keywords

Food-frequency questionnaireDietary recallValidityReliabilityWomenCanada
Type
Research Article
Information
Public Health Nutrition , Volume 9 , Issue 1 , February 2006 , pp. 84 - 93
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2006

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