To the Editors: Of course we agree with Kristal et al. (1) that validity is an issue of degree rather than a dichotomy and that multiple methods will usually be useful when evaluating validity because a perfect standard is rarely available. However, their examples based on face validity, construct validity, and predictive validity do not provide evidence that food frequency questionnaires shoul...

BACKGROUND National dietary surveys among Norwegian 12-months olds have been conducted twice: in 1999 and 2007. At both time-points diet were assessed by a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (SFFQ) (the SFFQ-1999 and the SFFQ-2007). Modifications in the SFFQ-2007 compared to the SFFQ-1999 have been made; therefore, the objective of the present study has been to explore the comparabi...

The dietary and health traits of organic food (OF) consumers have not been comprehensively described. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with OF consumption. Data were collected from 54 283 participants from the NutriNet-Santé cohort using self-administered web-based questionnaires. Occasional organic food consumers and regular organic food consumers (ROFC) were compared w...

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute developed a new cognitively based food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), the Diet History Questionnaire (DHQ). The Eating at America's Table Study sought to validate and compare the DHQ with the Block and Willett FFQs. Of 1,640 men and women recruited to participate from a nationally representative sample in 1997, 1,301 completed four telephone 24-hour ...

In measuring food intake, three common methods are used: 24-hour recalls, food frequency questionnaires and food records. Food records or 24-hour recalls are often thought to be the most reliable, but they are difficult and expensive to obtain. The question of interest to us is to use the food records or 24-hour recalls to examine possible systematic biases in questionnaires as a measure of usu...

The food frequency questionnaires are widely used in epidemiological researches like dietary assessment method. Traditionally, they have been self-administered in paper but the use of information and communication technologies has led to develop Internet and computerized food frequency questionnaires. It is the objective of this article to offer a global perspective of the new technologies appl...

BACKGROUND & AIMS To consider the hypothesis that addiction to food, or more specifically sucrose, plays a role in obesity and eating disorders. METHODS By considering the relevant literature a series of predictions were examined, derived from the hypothesis that addiction to sucrose consumption can develop. Fasting should increase food cravings, predominantly for sweet items; cravings should...

BACKGROUND Strict restrictions on outdoor cigarette marketing have resulted in increasing concentration of cigarette marketing at the point-of-sale (POS). The association between POS cigarette marketing and smoking-induced deprivation (SID) has never been studied. The aim of this study was to examine this association and how it is mediated by cravings to smoke, urges to buy cigarettes, and unpl...

BACKGROUND/AIMS Trait binge eating has been proposed as a "hedonic subtype" of obesity characterized by enhanced food liking and wanting, and a preference for high-fat sweet foods in the laboratory. The current study examined the influence of trait binge eating in overweight or obese women on eating behavior under laboratory and free-living conditions over a 48-h period. METHODS In a matched ...