Stepwise tailoring and test-retest of reproducibility of an ethnic-specific FFQ to estimate nutrient intakes for South Asians in New Zealand.

OBJECTIVE: To develop and test-retest the reproducibility of an ethnic-specific FFQ to estimate nutrient intakes for South Asians (SA) in New Zealand (NZ). DESIGN: Using culturally appropriate methods, the NZFFQ, a validated dietary assessment tool for NZ adults, was modified to include SA food items by analysing foods consumed by SA participants of the Adult Nutrition Survey, in-person audit of ethnic food stores and a web scan of ethnic food store websites in NZ. This was further refined via three focus group discussions, and the resulting New Zealand South Asian Food Frequency Questionnaire (NZSAFFQ) was tested for reproducibility. SETTING: Auckland and Dunedin, NZ. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-nine and 110 males and females aged 25-59 years of SA ethnicity participated in the focus group discussions and the test-retest, respectively. RESULTS: The development phase resulted in a SA-specific FFQ comprising of 11 food groups and 180 food items. Test-retest of the NZSAFFQ showed good reproducibility between the two FFQ administrations, 6 months apart. Most reproducibility coefficients were within or higher than the acceptable range of 0·5-0·7. The lowest intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were observed for ß-carotene (0·47), vitamin B12 (0·50), fructose (0·55), vitamin C (0·57) and selenium (0·58), and the highest ICC were observed for alcohol (0·81), iodine (0·79) and folate (0·77). The ICC for fat ranged from 0·70 for saturated fats to 0·77 for polyunsaturated fats. The ICC for protein and energy were 0·68 and 0·72, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The developed FFQ showed good reproducibility to estimate nutrient intakes and warrants the need for validation of the instrument.

A profile of New Zealand 'Asian' participants of the 2008/09 Adult National Nutrition Survey: focus on dietary habits, nutrient intakes and health outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate similarities and differences in dietary habits, nutrient intakes and health outcomes of South Asians (SA) and East and South-East Asians (ESEA) and the New Zealand European and Other (NZEO) group, and to examine differences within 'Asian' subgroups according to duration of residence. DESIGN: Nutrient intake data from 24 h diet recalls and data from the dietary habits questionnaire, anthropometry and biochemical analyses from the cross-sectional 2008/09 Adult National Nutrition Survey in New Zealand were compared for participants categorized as SA, ESEA and NZEO. SUBJECTS: Adults aged 15 years and older (n 2995). SETTING: New Zealand households. RESULTS: SA were more likely to 'never' eat red meat in comparison to NZEO (P<0.001) and among females also in comparison to ESEA (P<0.05). Intakes of fats and some micronutrients (riboflavin, vitamin B6, B12, Se) were lower among SA than NZEO (P<0.05). Lower intakes of Zn and vitamin B12 were reported by SA females compared with ESEA and NZEO females (P<0.05). A higher percentage of SA were obese using ethnic-specific cut-offs, had lower indices of Fe status and reported diagnosed diabetes compared with NZEO and ESEA. Recent SA male migrants had higher intakes of ß-carotene, vitamin C and Ca compared with long-term migrants (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study indicate that dietary habits, nutrient intakes, blood profile and body size differ significantly between Asian subgroups. It also provides some evidence for changes in dietary intakes according to duration of residence especially for SA males.

Warning labels on alcohol containers as a source of information on alcohol consumption in pregnancy among New Zealand women.

BACKGROUND: The addition of a warning label on alcohol containers is a policy measure yet to be adopted in New Zealand. The current study aims to report the rating of a national sample of 16-40-year-old non-pregnant New Zealand women on a warning label on alcohol containers as a source of information on risks associated with alcohol consumption in pregnancy. METHODS: A nationwide, cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2005 on a random sample of 1129 non-pregnant women aged 16-40 years. Data were collected via an interviewer-administered questionnaire using a Web-assisted telephone interviewing system. RESULTS: Overall, the survey achieved a response rate of 65%. Just over half of the women surveyed (53%; 95% CI 50.2-56.0) gave a high rating for a warning label as a source of information on alcohol consumption in pregnancy. Women below 30 years of age and who were of non-European ethnicity were more likely to give a high rating compared with older women and European women, respectively (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Introduction of a warning label on alcohol containers in New Zealand may be effective in increasing awareness of the risks associated with alcohol consumption in pregnancy among at-risk drinkers, namely, younger women and New Zealand women of Maori and Pacific ethnicities. However, to accentuate behavioural change, other prevention approaches within a health promotion framework may be needed to complement this approach.

Opinions of non-pregnant New Zealand women aged 16-40 years about the safety of alcohol consumption during pregnancy.

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: Premenopausal women's opinions on the safety of alcohol consumption during pregnancy are not well documented. This study aims to assess the opinions of New Zealand women on the safety of alcohol consumption in pregnancy and the sociodemographic and lifestyle factors associated with these opinions. DESIGN AND METHODS: A nationwide, cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2005 on a random sample of 1109 non-pregnant women aged 16-40 years. Data were collected via an interviewer-administered questionnaire using a web-assisted telephone interviewing system. RESULTS: Overall, 44% (95% confidence interval 41-47) of women surveyed were of the opinion that no alcohol is safe in pregnancy. Those who stated that no alcohol is safe in pregnancy were more likely to be of Pacific Island ethnicity (P < 0.05) and abstainers (P < 0.001). Women who drank more than two standard drinks of alcohol on a typical occasion and/or who binged were more likely to be of the opinion that 'more than one standard drink' of alcohol is safe on a typical drinking day during pregnancy (P < 0.001). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: The association of drinking style with opinions about the safety of alcohol consumption in pregnancy accentuates the need for public health education to reduce risky drinking behaviours in this population. Such efforts may also address the risk associated with many women unintentionally drinking in early pregnancy, especially if the pregnancy is unplanned.