Tatiana Papazian1, Hala Hout2, Darine Sibai2, Nour Helou2, Hassan Younes3, Nada El Osta4, Lydia Rabbaa Khabbaz5. 1. Laboratoire de Pharmacologie, Pharmacie clinique et Contrôle de qualité des Médicaments, Faculty of Pharmacy, Saint-Joseph University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon; Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Pharmacy, Saint-Joseph University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon. 2. Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Pharmacy, Saint-Joseph University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon. 3. Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Pharmacy, Saint-Joseph University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon; Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences, Institut Polytechnique LaSalle Beauvais, France. 4. Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Saint-Joseph University, Beirut, Lebanon; Department of Prosthodontics, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Saint-Joseph University, Beirut, Lebanon. 5. Laboratoire de Pharmacologie, Pharmacie clinique et Contrôle de qualité des Médicaments, Faculty of Pharmacy, Saint-Joseph University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon; Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Pharmacy, Saint-Joseph University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon. Electronic address: lydia.khabbaz@usj.edu.lb.
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Accurate dietary assessment tools are required to ensure that maternal diet supplies all the nutrients needed for fetal development. However, no dietary method could accurately estimate food intake during gestation. Food Frequency Questionnaires (FFQ), frequently used in epidemiological studies, estimate long term nutritional status of the target population. However, it is recommended to create and validate a FFQ compatible with the dietary habits of the studied population, to avoid cultural and social discrepancies. This study aimed to develop and test the reproducibility and the validity of a semi-quantitative FFQ compatible with the diet of Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern population, in a sample of Lebanese pregnant women. METHODS: 128 women participated in the validation study, while 38 took part in the reproducibility phase, which was repeated in a time frame of 21 days. The FFQ was validated against a 24 h dietary recall (DR). RESULTS: The intra class correlation coefficient (ICC) ranged from 0.935 for calcium to 0.984 for vitamin D (p value < 0.001), indicating an excellent reproducibility. A satisfactory agreement between the two dietary tools was demonstrated using Bland-Altman plot and Spearman's and Pearson's correlations coefficients which varied between 0.294 for iron to 0.762 for caloric intake (p value < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The newly developed FFQ englobing Mediterranean food items was culture specific and assessed the nutrient intake of our population. Administering this tool in future researches will help monitor the nutritional status of pregnant women, aiming at improving maternal and newborn health.
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Accurate dietary assessment tools are required to ensure that maternal diet supplies all the nutrients needed for fetal development. However, no dietary method could accurately estimate food intake during gestation. Food Frequency Questionnaires (FFQ), frequently used in epidemiological studies, estimate long term nutritional status of the target population. However, it is recommended to create and validate a FFQ compatible with the dietary habits of the studied population, to avoid cultural and social discrepancies. This study aimed to develop and test the reproducibility and the validity of a semi-quantitative FFQ compatible with the diet of Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern population, in a sample of Lebanese pregnant women. METHODS: 128 women participated in the validation study, while 38 took part in the reproducibility phase, which was repeated in a time frame of 21 days. The FFQ was validated against a 24 h dietary recall (DR). RESULTS: The intra class correlation coefficient (ICC) ranged from 0.935 for calcium to 0.984 for vitamin D (p value < 0.001), indicating an excellent reproducibility. A satisfactory agreement between the two dietary tools was demonstrated using Bland-Altman plot and Spearman's and Pearson's correlations coefficients which varied between 0.294 for iron to 0.762 for caloric intake (p value < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The newly developed FFQ englobing Mediterranean food items was culture specific and assessed the nutrient intake of our population. Administering this tool in future researches will help monitor the nutritional status of pregnant women, aiming at improving maternal and newborn health.