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Validity and reproducibility of the NORBAGREEN food frequency questionnaire

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 63, pages 141–149 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective:

To measure the validity and reproducibility of the NORBAGREEN food frequency questionnaire (FFQ).

Subjects/methods:

In Finland, 125 subjects aged 25–64 years sampled from the five main regions of the FINDIET 2002 Study and in Lithuania, 99 citizens of Kaunas aged 19–75 years participated in the study. Reference methods for the FFQ were two 3-day FFQs in Finland and four 24-h recalls in Lithuania. The FFQ was repeated after 6–8 months in both countries. The outcome of the FFQ1 was correlated with the outcome of the reference methods and with the outcome of repeated FFQ2. Cross-classification of food intakes by FFQ1 and the reference methods was examined in tertiles.

Results:

Validity correlations (FFQ vs the reference method, Spearman's correlation) were for vegetables, fruit and bread 0.50 (P<0.01), 0.53 (P<0.01) and 0.54 (P<0.01) in Finland; and 0.55 (P<0.01), 0.31 (P<0.01) and 0.51 (P<0.01) in Lithuania, respectively. Correlations were smaller for potatoes and fish. The overall proportion categorized in the same or adjacent intake tertiles with the two instruments was over 83% in both countries. Reproducibility correlations varied between 0.51 and 0.75 in the Finnish study, and between 0.51 and 0.83 in the Lithuanian study.

Conclusions:

The NORBAGREEN FFQ can be used to rank subjects according to vegetable, fruit and bread consumption. Questions on fish and potato consumption need to be developed further.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the FINDIET Study Group and the interviewers of the Lithuanian validation study for help in the data collection, Satu Männistö for critically reviewing and Christine Bartels for language editing the article. The project was financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers. Additional support for the project was obtained from the Norwegian Directorate for Health and Social Affairs, the Swedish National Food Administration, the Icelandic Agricultural Production Fund, the Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the Landskapsstyrelse Åland (the Government of Åland), as well as Kotimaiset Kasvikset ry./Inhemska Trädgårdsproducter rf., Finland.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Biomedical Research, Kaunas University of Medicine, Lithuania

    J Petkeviciene & V Kriaucioniene

  2. Department of Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention, National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland

    M Similä & L M Valsta

  3. Department of Nutrition, National Food Administration, Uppsala, Sweden

    W Becker

Authors
  1. J Petkeviciene
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  2. M Similä
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  3. W Becker
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  4. V Kriaucioniene
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  5. L M Valsta
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to L M Valsta.

Additional information

Guarantor: LM Valsta.

Contributors: JP and VK carried out the Lithuanian validation study and performed the statistical analysis. MS and LMV carried out the Finnish validation study and MS performed the statistical analysis. WB contributed to the planning of the studies, LMV was the principal investigator of the study, and all authors contributed to the writing and final approval of the article.

Appendix

Appendix

Table A1

Table Food groups, preparation forms and sub-items in the NORBAGREEN FFQ
Full size table

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Petkeviciene, J., Similä, M., Becker, W. et al. Validity and reproducibility of the NORBAGREEN food frequency questionnaire. Eur J Clin Nutr 63, 141–149 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602893

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