Development and validation of a food frequency questionnaire to assess omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid intake in Australian children aged 9–13 years

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Title

Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietics

Publisher

Blackwell Publishing Ltd

School

School of Exercise and Health Sciences

RAS ID

24359

Comments

Rahmawaty, S., Charlton, K., Lyons‐Wall, P., & Meyer, B. J. (2017). Development and validation of a food frequency questionnaire to assess omega‐3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid intake in Australian children aged 9–13 years. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 30(4), 429-438. https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.12439

Abstract

Background

The present study aimed to develop a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) assessing dietary omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 LCPUFA) intake in Australian children and to validate the FFQ against a 7-day food diary.

Methods

The investigation comprised a cross-sectional and validation study. The study setting was two private primary schools in the in the Illawarra region of New South Wales. Twenty-two Australian children, aged 9–13 years, who were not on a special diet or receiving medical care that limited their food choice in the 3 months prior to recruitment, were recruited into the study.

Results

A total of 131 items, classified according to seven food group categories, was included in the n-3 LCPUFA FFQ, as identified from published dietary surveys and a supermarket survey. Good correlations between the FFQ and the 7-day food diary were observed for eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) [r = 0.691, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.51–0.83, P < 0.001], docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (r = 0.684, 95% CI = 0.45–0.84, P < 0.001) and total n-3 LCPUFA (r = 0.687, 95% CI = 0.48–0.85, P < 0.001). Bland–Altman plots showed an acceptable limit of agreement between the FFQ and the average 7-day food diary. However, the mean EPA, DHA and total n-3 LCPUFA intakes estimated from the FFQ were significantly higher than those from the average 7-day food diary estimates (P < 0.001).

Conclusions

A novel n-3 LCPUFA FFQ that has been developed to estimate dietary n-3 LCPUFA intakes in Australian children has been shown to have relative validity. The FFQ provides a useful contribution to dietary assessment methodology in this age group; however, reproducibility remains to be demonstrated.

DOI

10.1111/jhn.12439

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