Validity and Reliability of a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) to Assess Dietary Intake of Preschool Children.

As there are few food frequency questionnaires (FFQ) to assess the dietary intake of preschool children, this study examined the validity and reliability of an FFQ for this purpose. A total of 210 preschoolers aged 4 to 6 years participated in the validation study, while a subsample of 66 participants joined the reliability study. The FFQ is modified from the ToyBox-study and South East Asian Nutrition Surveys (SEANUTS), and comprised 108 food items from 13 food groups. A three-day estimated dietary record (3DR) was used as reference and reliability was assessed through a second administration of the FFQ (FFQ2), four weeks after the first administration (FFQ1). For the validation study, Spearman's correlation coefficients showed moderate to high correlations (p < 0.001) between FFQ and 3DR. Cross-classification of quartile analysis showed moderate agreement between the two methods. As for reliability, Spearman's correlation coefficients showed moderate to high correlations (p < 0.001) between FFQ1 and FFQ2. Cronbach's alpha values (0.708 to 0.824) and intraclass correlation coefficients (0.710 to 0.826) showed good agreement between repeated FFQs. The results suggest that the FFQ has acceptable validity and good reliability. Hence, the FFQ can be used to assess preschool children's food intake.

Proximate, mineral and fatty acid compositions of healthy recipes used in Fit, Eat, Active, Training (F.E.A.T) programme

@#Introduction: Many people are seeking knowledge and skills about preparing healthy meals at home. This study aimed to determine the content of nutrients in 60 healthy dishes prepared for the recipe book Mudah, Sihat, Sedap used in the F.E.A.T nutrition intervention programme. The recipe book was developed as an educational material to guide participants in preparing healthy meals at home. Methods: A needs assessment survey was done to identify food preferences for breakfast, lunch and dinner of obese and overweight respondents. Recipes for these foods were then modified to reduce the calorie, fat, and sugar contents, while adding in fibre sources. Proximate analysis was done based on standard methods of AOAC, while total carbohydrate and calorie contents were calculated using the differentiation and Atwater methods, respectively. Mineral content was determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometer, while fatty acids content was analysed by gas chromatography using the FAME method. Results: Proximate analysis results showed that Kobis Goreng had the most calories (305 kcal/100g) (p<0.05) in all categories. Mineral analysis showed that sodium was significantly highest (p<0.05) in Asam Pedas Daging (554 mg/100g). For fatty acid analysis, Masak Lemak Telur Itik had the highest amount of MUFA (45.1%), Masak Lemak Sotong had the highest amount for SFA (71.8%), and Masak Lemak Cili Api Udang had the highest amount of PUFA (33.7%). Conclusion: This study successfully modified original recipes of selected cuisines used in the recipe book, which contained lower calories compared to original recipes. The calorie and nutrient values for each recipe will be included as nutrition composition information in the recipe book.