The Maastricht FFQ: Development and validation of a comprehensive food frequency questionnaire for the Maastricht study

van Dongen MC 1 , Wijckmans-Duysens NEG 1 , den Biggelaar LJ 1 , Ocké MC 2 , Meijboom S 3 , Brants HA 2 Show all authors , de Vries JH 3 , Feskens EJ 3 , Bueno-de-Mesquita HB 4 , Geelen A 3 , Stehouwer CD 5 , Dagnelie PC 6 , Eussen SJ 7

Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Epidemiology, CAPHRI Care and Public Health Research Institute/CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
  • 2 National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands
  • 3 Division of Human Nutrition, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
  • 4 National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands; Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Medical Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom; Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 5 Department of Internal Medicine, CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
  • 6 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
  • 7 Department of Epidemiology, CAPHRI Care and Public Health Research Institute/CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands. Electronic address: simone.eussen@maastrichtuniversity.nl
Nutrition, 2019 06;62:39-46.
PMID: 30826598 DOI: 10.1016/j.nut.2018.10.015

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to develop and validate a comprehensive food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for The Maastricht Study, a population-based prospective cohort study in Maastricht, The Netherlands.

METHODS: Item selection for the FFQ was based on explained variation and contribution to intake of energy and 24 nutrients. For validation, the FFQ was completed by 135 participants (25-70 y of age) of the Nutrition Questionnaires plus study. Per person, on average 2.8 (range 1-5) telephone-based 24-h dietary recalls (24HRs), two 24-h urinary samples, and one blood sample were available. Validity of 54 nutrients and 22 food groups was assessed by ranking agreement, correlation coefficients, attenuation factors, and ultimately deattenuated correlation coefficients (validity coefficients).

RESULTS: Median correlation coefficients for energy and macronutrients, micronutrients, and food groups were 0.45, 0.36, and 0.38, respectively. Median deattenuated correlation coefficients were 0.53 for energy and macronutrients, 0.45 for micronutrients, and 0.64 for food groups, being >0.50 for 18 of 22 macronutrients, 16 of 30 micronutrients and >0.50 for 17 of 22 food groups. The FFQ underestimated protein and potassium intake compared with 24-h urinary nitrogen and potassium excretion by -18% and -2%, respectively. Correlation coefficients ranged from 0.50 and 0.55 for (fatty) fish intake and plasma eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, and from 0.26 to 0.42 between fruit and vegetable intake and plasma carotenoids.

CONCLUSION: Overall, the validity of the 253-item Maastricht FFQ was satisfactory. The comprehensiveness of this FFQ make it well suited for use in The Maastricht Study and similar populations.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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