Development and validation of a Semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire among older people in north of Iran

Background: The study was conducted to assess reliability of modified semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (SQFFQ) as a part of the Amirkola Health and Aging Project (AHAP). Methods: The study was carried out in a sample of 200 men and women aged 60 years and older. A 138-item SQFFQ and two 24-hour dietary recalls were completed. The reliability of SQFFQ was evaluated by comparing eighteen food groups, energy and nutrient intakes derived from both methods using Spearman and Pearson’s correlation coefficients for food groups and nutrients, respectively. Bland-Altman plots and Pitman’s tests were applied to compare the two dietary assessment methods. Results: The mean (SD) age of subjects was 68.16 (6.56) years. The average energy intake from 24-hour dietary recalls and the SQFFQ were 1470.2 and 1535.4 kcal/day, respectively. Spearman correlation coefficients, comparing food groups intake based on two dietary assessment methods ranged from 0.25 (meat) to 0.62 (tea and coffee) in men and from 0.39 (whole grains) to 0.60 (sugars) in women. Pearson correlation coefficients for energy and macronutrients were 0.53 for energy to 0.21 for zinc in male and 0.71 for energy to 0.26 for vitamin C in females. The Pitman’s test reflected the reasonable agreement between the mean energy and macronutrients of the SQFFQ and 24-hour recalls. Conclusions: The modified SQFFQ that was designed for the AHAP was found to be reliable for assessing the intake of several food groups, energy, micro-and macronutrients.