Development and validation of a comprehensive food frequency questionnaire that assesses the dietary intake related with dental health in children: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: This study aimed to develop a validated and reliable food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) that assess dietary intake related with dental health in children. METHODS: Children, two-to-nine-years old, who consulted to a paediatric dental clinic for any reason, were recruited to complete the FFQ and 24-h recall, inquired oral hygiene habits, performed oral examinations, recorded dmft(s)/DMFT(S) index, and taken anthropometric measurements. The statistical methods used for validation were Wilcoxon signed rank test, Spearman ranked correlations, weighted kappa statistic and Bland-Altman graphs were drawn. Besides, intraclass and spearman correlation coefficients calculated for the reliability. RESULTS: A total of 120 children participated in to the first stage of the study while 70 participants completed the 4-month period. The Spearman correlation coefficient and weighted kappa values confirmed that the FFQ had moderate validation against the food records for lactose, calcium and phosphorus. Dietary fat, fibre, lactose, calcium, potassium, fluoride, magnesium, phosphorus and zinc intakes were negatively and statistically significantly correlated with DMFT and DMFS according to both FFQ and 24-h (p < 0.05, for each). Furthermore, a positive correlation between DMFT/S and dietary carbohydrate, starch, polysaccharide and sucrose intakes was obtained. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide the preliminary evidence for the moderated reliability and validity of the FFQ; the higher DMFT and DMFS scores might be linked to lower dietary intakes of fat, fibre, lactose, calcium, potassium, fluorine, magnesium, phosphorus and zinc; and probably higher dietary intakes of carbohydrate, starch, polysaccharide and sucrose in children.

Emotional eating behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The study aimed to evaluate emotional eating tendency of Turkish individuals during COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: The study comprised an online questionnaire and it was conducted from August to September 2020. The survey was distributed through social networks. RESULTS: A total of 1626 adults have been included in the study, aged between 18 and 65 years (69.6% females and 30.4% males). The average BMI of all participants was 24.4 ± 4.7 kg/m2, 6% were underweight, and 11.6% were obese. A total of 32.7% of the participants had an increase in appetite and 34.4% had a weight gain. It was found that most of the participants (75.7%) were emotional eaters at different levels. Emotional eating was more common in obese people (43.5%) than normal weight (33.5%) and underweight (18.4%) people. It was examined the increasing food intake according to the BMI, the obese increased the consumption of fresh vegetables, fruits, pastries, and, eggs; underweight increased the consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits, milk and, eggs. As in other countries, a weight gain was observed in the individuals. However, the participants resorted to emotional eating to cope with negative emotions such as depression, anxiety, and stress caused by the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, it has been provided preliminary data that can be used in future studies to determine the emotional eating behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic.