Relative validation of a food frequency questionnaire to assess dietary fatty acid intake

ABSTRACT Objectives: This study aimed to develop and validate a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) for assessing consumption of fatty acids among pregnant women. Methods: Two lists of foods were created according to percent contribution of each nutrient estimated by three 24-hour recalls: a long and short version FFQ to estimate long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs). Student paired t-test and Pearson correlation coefficients were used to verify the differences in mean consumption of nutrients from the FFQ and 24-hour recall. The concordance between the consumption values of the two methods was assessed using the Bland-Altman method and quartiles concordance. Results: For the FFQ - long version, correlation values ranged from 0.33 (p