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Validation Information: German EPIC FFQ1

Bohlscheid-Thomas 1997

Reproducibility and Relative Validity of Food Group Intake in a Food Frequency Questionnaire Developed for the German Part of the EPIC Project

Background:For the German part of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), a self-administered, optically-readable food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), including 158 food items and 87 coloured portion size photographs, was developed to assess the usual food and nutrient intake of individuals during the past year. In 1991/1992, the reproducibility and validity of the questionnaire measurements were studied according to the EPIC protocol. This article reports the results on reproducibility and relative validity of measurement of food group intake.

Methods:A total of 104 men and women aged 35-64 years, who are members of the local health insurance institution, AOK Heidelberg, participated in this study. Reproducibility of the questionnaire measurements was obtained by a repeated administration of the FFQ to the same study subjects at a 6-month interval. The mean of 12 24-hour dietary recalls applied at monthly intervals served as reference method for the estimation of the relative validity of questionnaire measurements. A second version of the FFQ that integrated questions on general food consumption patterns was also investigated.

Results:Spearman test-retest correlations of food group intake ranged from 0.49 for bread to 0.89 for alcoholic beverages (median = 0.70). Spearman correlations between food group intake values derived from the 24-hour diet recalls and the FFQ completed in the summer of 1992 varied from 0.14 for legumes to 0.90 for alcoholic beverages (median = 0.45). Correction for attenuation due to within-person error in the reference method as well as the correction for general consumption patterns improved the correlations.

Conclusions:The results indicate that our newly developed FFQ gives reproducible estimates of food group intake. Large day-to-day variation in food group intake complicated the evaluation of FFQ validity. Overall, moderate levels of relative validity were observed for estimates of food group intake.

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Validation Information

Author
Bohlscheid-Thomas
Year of Publication
1997

Tool Information

Dietary Exposure Measured
Energy, Macronutrient, Micronutrient, Food Groups
Tool Type
Food Frequency Questionnaire
Timeframe Tool Measures info
1 Year
Portion Size Measures info
87 coloured portion size photographs.
Reporting Method info
Usual; Retrospective
Format info
Paper
Supplements Measured
Included
Administration Method info
Self-administered

Study Information

Study Location
Heidelberg, Germany
Associated Nutrient Database
Bundeslebensmittelschlüssel BLS, version II.1
Comparator Validated Against
24hr Recall

Participants

Sample Size
104
Lifestage
Adults
Age of Population

Range: 35-64 years

Sex
Both
Other Notable Characteristics
N/A

Total number of nutrients validated: 12 info

Not all of the nutrients validated in the validation studies are included in the table below, as statistical data was only selected to be displayed for a number of nutrients, this included:

  • Energy
  • Fat
  • Saturated Fat
  • Mono-unsaturated Fat
  • Poly-unsaturated Fat
  • Carbohydrates
  • Protein
  • Sugar
  • Non‐starch polysaccharides(NSP)
  • Sodium
  • Calcium
  • Iron
  • Zinc
  • Retinol
  • Folate
  • Folic Acid
  • Vitamin B12
  • Vitamin C
  • Fruit & Vegetables
  • Urinary Nitrogen

To find information on the other validated nutrients please read the validation study.

  • Energy
  • Macronutrients: 11
  • Micronutrients: 0
Comparator Lifestage Sex Nutrient Measured info Mean Difference Standard Deviation info Correlation Coefficient info Cohen's Kappa Coefficient Percentage Agreement Percentage Agreement Categories info Lower Limits of Agreement Upper Limits of Agreement
24hr Recall Adults Both Energy (kJ) 1652 3910 0.38 (P) 26 5 -6012 9316
Protein (g) 12 33 0.41 (P) 25 5 -53 77
Fat (g) 8 43 0.37 (P) 33 5 -76 92
Saturated Fat (g) 3 18 0.38 (P) 27 5 -32 38
MUFA (g) 2 15 0.38 (P) 32 5 -27 31
PUFA (g) 2 6 0.28 (P) 31 5 -10 14
Carbohydrates (g) 61 105 0.41 (P) 23 5 -145 267
Fruit (g) 0.50 (S) 32 5
Vegetables (g) 0.34 (S) 29 5

Some results have been calculated using statistical techniques based on the published data.

For further information on statistical terms click on Statistical tests used in validation studies

All correlations coefficients in the table are unadjusted unless stated otherwise. For adjusted correlation coefficients and other statistical methods used in the study e.g. paired t-tests, please read the validation articles.

  • # Adjusted
  • † Energy adjusted.
  • ‡ For loge-transformed, energy-adjusted nutrient intakes.
  • ^ Adjacent included.
  • ᵟ Participants provided identical responses.
  • (w) = Weighted.

Bohlscheid-Thomas S, Hoting I, Boeing H, Wahrendorf J. Reproducibility and relative validity of food group intake in a food frequency questionnaire developed for the German part of the EPIC project. European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. International journal of epidemiology. 1997;26 Suppl 1:S59-70.