Desenvolvimento de um questionário quantitativo de frequência alimentar para adultos no nordeste brasileiro

Abstract

Among the various methods of food surveys highlight the Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), an instrument commonly used in epidemiological studies to evaluate the relationship between diet and disease. Given the importance of the evaluation of the food consumption of populations to understand the relative exposure and outcome, the aim was to develop a quantitative food frequency questionnaire to identify the frequency of consumption of food considered for protection and risk for chronic non-communicable diseases (NCD). The development of the FFQ was performed with the micro-data of the module on food consumption data and individual residents of the Family Budgets survey, 2008-2009 in a population sample of northeastern Brazil between 20 and 59 years of age (n = 7,516). The database included 421 foods. These food items were used for the construction of the food lists, first step in the development of the FFQ. For this, we opted the methodology of relative contribution of the item, in which it was identified the food items with the highest relative contribution to macronutrients, fibre, saturated fat, trans fat, sodium and potassium. Also a list of the energetic contribution was constructed. To compose the list of foods it was considered those responsible for up to 90% of the nutrient contribution, or even those that were considered sources of a nutrient of interest. The list of the calories pointed to a minimally processed food consumption (11.41%) with rice and beans (8.44%) among the main contributors. In the list of the-fiber stood out the low variety of fruit consumption and the low presence of vegetables and preparations containing vegetables. The fruit with the greatest contribution was the banana (2.14%) and only the item salad or raw vegetables (0.64%) appeared in the list representing vegetables. The lists of the nutrients were used for the composition of the final list of FFQ, 83 foods have been grouped according to their processed level, using the NEW classification system of food, in: unprocessed and minimally processed foods, processed culinary or food industry ingredients, and ultra-processed food products. For the calculation of the portion sizes were established 25, 50, 75 and 95 percentiles for each of the foods of the final list. The unit of time considered was the previous year. Instructions written by a nutritionist, pointing the appropriate completion of the instrument, were prepared t. At the end of the FFQ, five extra questions were added. The development of the FFQ represents a breakthrough in the regional nutritional epidemiology since the construction of this type of instrument in this area is an unprecedented fact and considering the new panorama of debates on food and nutrition, it innovates on the classification of foods by their type of food processing.