• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
• /
• v.2 no.3
• /
• pp.349-365
• /
• 1997

Using data obtained from 1, 473 adults aged 18-68 yrs, residing in large cities and by use of a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire, we assessed the relative importance of various foods as indicators of both the amount and the variability of selected nutrient intake to develop a simple food frequency questionnaire. Since Cronba- ch's alpha value of the questionnaire including 78 food items was 0.76, the reliability of this questionnaire was acceptable. A large fraction of the variability of nutrient intake in this population could be explained by the small number of food items. The estimation of dietary nutrient intake such as total calories or protein content, which are derived from almost all foods, will require more food items with nutrients such as calcium or vitamin A, which are concentrated in a few food items. A dietary history ascertaining the intake of as few as 5-19 food items mighted be all needed in order to determent the associa- tion between disease outcome and the intake of a single nutrient. There was certainly a high level of agreement with nutrient intake by the sbujects who were cross-classified by quartiles of nutrient indices based on all the food items(78) and by quartiles of nutrient indices based on food items selected by stepwise multiple regression for selected nutrients. The data provided further evidence that useful information on dietary intake over an extended period can be obtained by a simple and relatively inexpensive food frequency questionnaire.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• v.35 no.2
• /
• pp.250-262
• /
• 2002

This study was conducted to develop a simple flood frequency questionnaire (FFQ) based on the results of contributions of specific floods to absolute intake and between-person variance in nutrients using semi-quantitative FFQ with 93 flood items. The subjects were 554 healthy adults for development of a simple FFQ, and 37 students for a validation test of a developed simple FFQ. The contribution of specific floods to 80% absolute nutrient intake was measured by assessing their percentage in total consumption of a nutrient. To assess the contributions of floods to the between-person variance in the intake of each specific nutrient, stepwise multiple regressions were performed. The number of floods necessary to account for the respective 80% of absolute intake was 11-36, depending on the nutrient, while flower floods (5-16 floods) were required for the corresponding percentage of between-person variation for all nutrients. Important floods for between-person variance include Tangsuyuk (pork) and snacks for energy and fat, fish for protein and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and snacks for carbohydrates. Spearman correlation coefficients between 93-itemed FFQ and 63-itemed FFQ ranged from 0.91 for vitamin A to 0.99 for fat in the population data used in developing a simple FFQ. Also, the correlation coefficients between the two FFQs were 0.82-7.92 in the population for the validation test. This study suggests that useful information on dietary intake could be obtained using a simple semi-quantitative FFQ in a large-scale dietary survey in Korea.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
• /
• v.19 no.2
• /
• pp.201-212
• /
• 2008

This study was carried out to investigate the relative influence of food intake and menopause on the body composition and bone quality index of women in Wonju who were voluntary participants in a community nutrition program. The status of food intake was examined using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. A bioelectrical impedance analysis tool (Inbody 2.0) and SONOST 2000 were used for estimating body composition including criteria such as TWB (Total body water), SLM (Soft lean mass), LBM (Lean body mass), PBF (% body fat) and WHR (Waist hip ratio), and BQI (Bone quality index). 82% of the subjects were over the age of 40. The percentage of overweight subjects was 64.3% overall, and higher in the advanced age group while underweight was prevalent in younger subjects. Although only 8.6% of the total subjects skipped breakfast, this habit was more prevalent in subjects in their twenties and the underweight group. Variables, such as age, menstruation status, and breakfast eating habits were significant factors considered in relation to food intake from 7 food groups. Generally, older aged women ate more vegetables while the younger group consumed more simple sugars and lipids. The subjects who were underweight or skipped breakfast tended to drink higher amounts of soft drinks. With increasing age, BMI, PBF and WHR increased also, and TWB, SLM, LBM, and BQI decreased. According to correlation analysis, WHR has a positive correlation with PBF. BQI correlated with SLM and LBM positively, and with PBF and WHR negatively. Over 93.3% of the subjects over the age of 30 were assessed as having abdominal obesity. It was revealed that body composition was affected not only by age, obesity degree and menstruation status but by various food intake habits. Body composition including WHR and BQI had put many of the subjects' health in danger of metabolic disorders. Therefore, it is important to emphasize keeping in place some helpful habits such as eating regularly, having a proper diet which includes many vegetables, and continued milk intake even after menopause to insure women's good health.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.156-166
• /
• 2012

The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate the simple semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for assessing folate intake in women of reproductive age. We developed a 30-item FFQ, and tested the reliability and validity in 97 women aged between 20 and 39 yrs using the FFQs and 24-h recalls, which were carried out twice, respectively. Assessing the reliability, the correlation coefficients were 0.53 (Spearman's) and 0.49 (Pearson's) for folate. There was no significant difference of folate intake between FFQ1 and FFQ2. 36.1% subjects were classified into the same quartile and 83.5% into the same or adjacent quartile divided by folate intake. On determining the validity, the mean folate intake obtained from the FFQ (FFQ1) and 24h-recalls (2-d) were $306.6{\pm}167.2{\mu}g/d$ and $326.9{\pm}103.3{\mu}g/d$, respectively. There was no significant difference between folate intakes from the two methods. The correlation coefficients for folate were 0.24 (Spearman's) and 0.26 (Pearson's). 39.2% of the subjects were categorized into the same quartile and 70.1% were into the same or adjacent quartile. In addition, sensitivity (64.3%) and specificity (62.3%) were estimated to evaluate the adequacy of folate intake. These results suggest that this FFQ would be a useful and a valuable instrument to assess the intake of folate among the Korean women of child-bearing age.