BACKGROUND: Dietary assessment of children for research and intervention purposes as well as for WIC eligibility are important, as nutrition during childhood has been shown to influence growth and development. The Harvard Service Food Frequency Questionnaire (HSFFQ) was initially developed by researchers at Harvard School of Public Health to assess the diets of low-income women and was subsequently modified as a dietary assessment tool for children and youth. The present study was undertaken to address the validity of the use of the Harvard Service FFQ in the diet assessment of African American children 1 to 5 years of age participating in the Missouri WIC program.
METHODS: The 84 item Harvard Service FFQ includes 19 questions about food habits, supplements, and services and is completed by the child's parent or guardian. A sample of 150 African American children ages 1 to 5 years were recruited to participate in the study. The HSFFQ was administered twice, once at the child's routine WIC visit and a second time following the completion of three 24-hour dietary recalls over approximately one month. Average nutrient data from the three 24-hour dietary recalls were compared to average nutrient data of the HSFFQs by calculating Pearson correlation coefficients and adjusting for energy intake and within person variation.
RESULTS: Expected by July 2000.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session the participant will be able to: 1) List at least 4 reasons that dietary assessment of children is important; 2) Describe one method of conducting a validation study of a food frequency questionnaire; 3) Recognize that diet assessment data can inform policy and program planning at local, state, and national levels in addition to identifying children at nutritional risk
Keywords: Dietary Assessment, Children
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.