Development and validation of food frequency questionnaire for food and nutrient intakes of adults in Butajira, Southern Ethiopia

We developed a culturally-specific Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) to the Ethiopian context and evaluate its validity in comparison to two 24-h dietary recalls (24-HRs) of food and nutrient intake. To evaluate the validity of a culturally-specific FFQ against two 24-HRs, we used a paired t-test, Wilcoxon-signed-rank test, Correlation coefficients, cross-classification, kappa and Bland-Altman analysis. The FFQ was obtained 15 d after the second 24-HR was completed. A total of 105 adults, of which 43 (41 %) were men and 62 (59 %) women, aged 20-65 years participated in this present study. Mean energy and macronutrient intake obtained from the FFQ were significantly higher than those obtained from the mean of two 24-HRs. For energy and nutrient intakes, the crude correlation ranged from 0.05 (total fat) to 0.49 (vitamin B1). The de-attenuated correlation ranged from to 0.10 (total fat) to 0.80 (vitamin A). For the majority of food groups, no significant difference was observed in the median intake of food and nutrients. Crude correlation for food groups ranged from 0.12 (egg) to 0.78 (legumes). The de-attenuated correlation ranged from 0.24 (egg) to 1.00 (meat/poultry/fish and dairy). The FFQ is valid to assess and rank individuals in terms of intake of most food groups according to high and low intake categories.