Providing Comprehensive Dietary Fatty Acid Profiling from Saturates to Polyunsaturates with the Malaysia Lipid Study-Food Frequency Questionnaire: Validation Using the Triads Approach

• Main Authors: Zu-Wei Yeak, Khun-Aik Chuah, Choon-Heen Tan, Menagah Ezhumalai, Karuthan Chinna, Kalyana Sundram, Tilakavati Karupaiah
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-12-01
• Series: Nutrients
• Subjects: food frequency questionnaire; dietary records; biomarkers; dietary assessment; fatty acid composition; comparative validity
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/1/120

To address limited food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) capacity in public health monitoring in Malaysia, we aimed to develop a semi-quantitative FFQ for an adult multiethnic population for comprehensive fatty acid (FA) profiling inclusive of saturated (SFA), monounsaturated (MUFA), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), PUFA:SFA ratio, trans fatty acids, omega-3 and omega-6 FAs. A 240-food itemed FFQ used diet records (DR) of Malaysia Lipid Study (MLS) participants and fatty acid composition database from laboratory analyzed foods. The developed MLS-FFQ underwent face and content validation before relative validation in a free-living population (<i>n</i> = 114). Validation was facilitated for macronutrient data comparisons between DR and FFQ via Spearman’s correlation coefficient analyses; and for fatty acid composition data by independent pairing of DR, FFQ and plasma triglyceride using the triads method. Moderate correlation between dietary methods was obtained for macronutrients and FAs (<i>r</i> = 0.225–0.457, <i>p</i> < 0.05) except for ω-3 FAs, presenting good agreement with grossly misclassified nutrients <10%. For fatty acid composition data, the magnitude of validity coefficients (<i>z</i>) for SFA, PUFA, PUFA:SFA ratios and ω-6 FAs by all 3 methods were not significantly different (<i>p</i> > 0.05). In conclusion, the MLS-FFQ was shown to be a valid tool to assess population dietary intakes.