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Considering Gender Differences in Portion Sizes to Improve Accuracy of Dietary Assessment Using a Food Frequency Questionnaire: The Multiethnic Cohort Study (P18-073-19)

Year: 2019

Type: article

Abstract: To determine gender specific-portion sizes (GS-PS) for quantitative food frequency questionnaire (QFFQ) items in the Multiethnic Cohort Study (MEC), and to examine whether using GS-PS improves the accuracy of nutrient intake assessment from the QFFQ. For GS-PS quantification, a gram amount was assigned to each portion size (PS) option (mostly three) for 163 QFFQ items for men and women separately. Data for PS were from a calibration study in the MEC, in which three day 24-hour dietary recalls (24HDRs) were collected. Energy and 13 nutrient intakes were estimated from the QFFQ using original-PS and GS-PS and compared with the 24HDRs (the reference method) in 1141 men and 1150 women. GS-PS for the QFFQ items were determined based on PS distributions for 24HDRs. When energy and absolute intakes of 13 nutrients were compared, the values estimated using GS-PS were closer to the 24HDRs than were the values estimated using original-PS both in men and women. However, for nutrient densities, the values calculated using GS-PS and original-PS were similar. The Correlation (r) between 24HDRs and the QFFQ using original-PS (average r = 0.40 and 0.39 for absolute value; 0.63 and 0.62 for nutrient density, in men and women, respectively) and between 24HDRs and QFFQ using GS-PS (average r = 0.37 for absolute value; 0.62 for nutrient density, in both men and women) were similar. The estimated percentage of participants at risk of nutrient inadequacy (those whose intake was below the estimated average requirement) using the QFFQ with GS-PS, tended to be between the percentages using 24HDRs and the QFFQ with the original-PS. Modification of PS considering gender differences resulted in energy and nutrient intakes closer to the reference method in absolute amount but not for nutrient density. Our findings indicate that considering gender in PS determination has the potential to improve the accuracy of nutrient intake assessment by QFFQ especially as absolute amounts. Supported by the National Institutes of Health (U01CA164973, P30CA071789), and Support Program for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (2016H1C3A1903202).

Source: Current Developments in Nutrition

DOI: 10.1093/cdn/nzz039.p18-073-19