Research Paper

Validity of carbohydrate, glycaemic index and glycaemic load data obtained using a semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire

Alan Winston Barclay^a1, Victoria Mary Flood^a1a2, Jennie Cecile Brand-Miller^a1 and Paul Mitchell^a2 p1 c1

^a1 Human Nutrition Unit, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

^a2 Department of Ophthalmology (Centre for Vision Research, Westmead Millennium Institute, Westmead Hospital), University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Abstract

Objective To assess the ability of a food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to rank Australians according to their intake of total carbohydrate, sugar, starch, fibre, glycaemic index (GI) and glycaemic load (GL).

Design Cross-sectional sample from a population cohort.

Setting Two postcode areas west of Sydney, Australia.

Subjects From 1992 to 1994, a total of 2868 older Australians provided dietary data using a 145-item Willett-derived FFQ. A representative sub-sample of 78 subjects completed three 4-day weighed food records (WFRs). Pearson and Spearman correlations, Bland–Altman plots and weighted kappa values were calculated.

Results Compared with the WFR, the FFQ provided higher mean estimates of all nutrients except starch and GI. All Pearson and/or Spearman correlations were greater than 0.5, except for GL. For GI, sugar, starch and fibre, the regression lines from the Bland–Altman analysis indicated a non-significant linear trend (P = 0.07, P = 0.36, P = 0.28 and P = 0.10, respectively). For GL and total carbohydrate, however, there was a significant linear trend (P = 0.006 and P < 0.0001, respectively), indicating that as the GL and carbohydrate intake of individuals increased, so did the magnitude of the error between the FFQ and WFR. Weighted kappa values all indicated moderate to good agreement, with the exception of GL which was only fair. The proportions of subjects correctly classified within one quintile for all of the nutrients were over 50% and gross misclassification was low (<10%).

Conclusion This FFQ was able to rank individuals according to their intakes of total carbohydrate, sugar, starch, fibre and GI, but not as well for GL.

(Received January 19 2007)

(Accepted May 22 2007)

Keywords

• Glycaemic index;
• Glycaemic load;
• Dietary carbohydrates;
• Epidemiology;
• Nutrition assessment

Correspondence:

^c1 Corresponding author: Email: paul_mitchell@wmi.usyd.edu.au

^p1 Correspondence address: University of Sydney Department of Ophthalmology, Eye Clinic Westmead Hospital, Westmead, New South Wales 2145, Australia