Reproducibility and validity of an FFQ to assess usual intake of methyl-group donors

Abstract

AbstractObjectiveTo develop and validate a novel FFQ to assess the daily intake of four methyl-group donors (methionine, choline, betaine and folate).DesignThe relative validity of the FFQ was assessed by comparison with 7 d estimated diet records (n 80) and its reproducibility was evaluated by repeated administrations 6 weeks apart (n 92). Paired Student t tests were used to compare group means and de-attenuated intra-class correlations to investigate the ability of the FFQ to rank individuals according to their methyl-group donor intake. De-attenuated intra-class correlation coefficients were calculated between the test and reference method for methionine, choline, betaine, folate and the sum of methyl-group donors. The weighted kappa (κw) was calculated as a measure of tertile agreement.SettingFlanders, Belgium.SubjectsThe FFQ was validated among Flemish women of reproductive age (18–35 years).ResultsThe questionnaire had an acceptable ranking ability (r=0·32–0·68; κw=0·10–0·35), but overestimated the daily intake of folate (280·6 μg v. 212·0 μg) and betaine (179·1 mg v. 147·0 mg) compared with the 7 d estimated diet record. Cross-classification analysis indicated that 20 % (choline) of the participants were grossly misclassified in the validation study. The correlation between repeated administrations was good (r=0·62–0·83) with a maximal misclassification of 7 % for betaine (κw=0·44–0·66).ConclusionsThese results indicate that this newly developed FFQ is a reliable instrument with acceptable validity for ranking individuals according to methyl-group donor intake (except for a poor agreement for choline (κw=0·10) and a fair ranking ability for betaine (r=0·32)) in Flemish women of reproductive age.