Nutrition and Health Sciences, Department of
ORCID IDs
Document Type
Article
Date of this Version
8-2006
Abstract
The purpose of this pilot study was to test the validity and reliability of a quantitative n-3 fatty acid food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for later use with larger groups of individuals. A convenience sample of heart patients provided dietary data via three 24-hour food recalls and FFQs. Participants were women (n = 17) and men (n = 11), 43 to 77 years of age. The association of mean daily intake of n-3 fatty acids obtained using food recalls and the FFQ was assessed by Pearson correlation. The reliability of the FFQ was assessed using coefficient α. Correlation of n-3 fatty acid intake using the food recalls and the FFQ was r = 0.42 (P < 0.05). The coefficient α for the test-retest of the FFQ was .83. The top two foods, walnuts and flaxseed, contributed 58% of the n-3 fatty acid intake, and the third food, salmon, contributed 5%. This quantitative n-3 FFQ is a valid instrument for use in place of food recalls for estimating n-3 fatty acid intakes in heart patients and is a reliable instrument to estimate n-3 fatty acid intakes from plant, animal, and seafood sources. The FFQ should be tested in a larger population. Registered dietitians can use this FFQ to screen for intakes, educate patients on food sources, and measure change in intakes after nutrition intervention.
Comments
Published in Journal of the American Dietetic Association 106:8 (August 2006), pp. 1251–1255; doi:10.1016/j.jada.2006.05.005 Copyright © 2006 American Dietetic Association; published by Elsevier Inc. Used by permission.