Validity of Dietary Assessment Using the “Japanese Food Guide Spinning Top for Pregnancy and Lactation”

The objectives of this study were to conduct dietary assessments using the “Japanese Food Guide Spinning Top for Pregnancy and Lactation” (Food Guide hereafter) and examine the validity of this tool. The number of servings and energy intake were calculated using the dietary record (DR) and Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). Next, compliance scores were calculated to quantify and evaluate the degree of compliance of women who were either pregnant or lactating, with the number of servings and energy intake recommended in the Food Guide. The validity of the Food Guide was then determined. The correlation coefficient for total compliance scores was r = 0.316 for early pregnancy and r = 0.439 for late pregnancy. Cross-tabulation among the tertiles of total compliance scores showed that 74 women (38.1%) in early pregnancy and 71 women (46.4%) in middle-to-late pregnancy were classified in the same category. The results of the correlation coefficients, and the category agreement of compliance scores for the Food Guide, calculated from DR and FFQ, confirmed the value of the Food Guide as an index for comprehensive evaluation of the diet of pregnant Japanese women.