Relative validation of a beverage frequency questionnaire in children ages 6 months through 5 years using 3-day food and beverage diaries

https://doi.org/10.1053/jada.2003.50137Get rights and content

Abstract

Objective To determine the relative validity of a quantitative beverage frequency questionnaire in assessing beverage, calcium, and vitamin D intakes using 3-day food diaries for reference. Design Parents were asked to complete questionnaires for the preceding week and diaries for the following week for their children. Calcium and vitamin D intakes were estimated from human milk, infant formulas, and cow's milk (″beverages”) for questionnaires and diaries and from ″all foods and beverages” for diaries. Data collected at 6 and 12 months and 3 and 5 years of age as part of the Iowa Fluoride Study (N=700) were analyzed cross-sectionally. Subjects Children (N=240); 60 randomly selected from each quartile of energy intake at 6 months of age. Statistical analyses Spearman correlation coefficients, weighted κ statistics, and percentages of exact agreement were used to assess associations between tools. Results Correlations between mean daily beverage intakes estimated from questionnaires and diaries ranged from 0.95-0.99 for human milk, 0.84-0.85 for infant formula, 0.63-0.86 for cow's milk, 0.54-0.69 for juice/drinks, 0.26-0.59 for liquid soft drinks, 0.35-0.74 for powdered soft drinks and 0.54-0.70 for water. Correlations between mean daily nutrient intakes estimated from questionnaires and diaries ″beverages” ranged from 0.64-0.74 for calcium and 0.60-0.80 for vitamin D; and between questionnaires and diaries ″all foods and beverages” ranged from 0.41-0.63 for calcium and 0.43-0.80 for vitamin D. Applications A quantitative beverage frequency questionnaire can provide a relative estimate of beverage, calcium, and vitamin D intakes. J Am Diet Assoc. 2003;103:714-720.

Section snippets

Subjects

Children whose intakes are reported herein are participants in the Iowa Fluoride Study (IFS), a longitudinal study designed to quantify fluoride exposures from both dietary and nondietary sources and to associate longitudinal fluoride exposure with dental fluorosis ([11], [12], [13], [14], [15], [16], [17], [18]). Mothers of newborns were recruited with informed consent from 8 Iowa hospital postpartum units between 1992 and 1995; 1,368 mothers completed 3 months of the IFS, and approximately

Results

Demographic characteristics of the 240 subjects and their parents at the time of enrollment (ie, birth) are provided in Table 1.Parents were well educated and affluent at the time their children were born. The racial distribution was similar to the minority distribution of Iowa. Demographic characteristics of subjects selected for this study were similar to the cohort from which they were drawn ([11], [12]).

Mean daily beverage intakes and correlations between intakes estimated from the

Discussion

Food frequency questionnaires have been used successfully to estimate energy and nutrient intakes. However, their use in estimating specific food or beverage intakes has not been widely studied. The results of our study suggest that a quantitative beverage frequency questionnaire provides useful data about consumption of individual beverages and intakes of calcium and vitamin D compared with a 3-day food and beverage diary.

Few investigators have reported the relative validity of food frequency

References (27)

  • AM Rossignol

    Caffeine-containing beverages and premenstrual syndrome in young women

    Am J Public Health

    (1985)
  • C Mettlin

    Milk drinking, other beverage habits, and lung cancer risk

    Int J Cancer

    (1989)
  • W Sohn et al.

    Fluid consumption related to climate among children in the United States

    J Public Health Dent

    (2001)
  • Cited by (0)

    This study was supported by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (R01-DE09551 and R01-DE12101) and the General Clinical Research Centers Program (RR00059).

    View full text