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Validity and Reliability of Self-Reported Measures of Foods and Nutrients in Pregnancy: A Systematic Review

  • Prenatal, Neonatal, and Maternal Nutrition (DK Tobias and M-F Hivert, Section Editors)
  • Published:
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Abstract

The aim of this systematic review is to provide a critical appraisal of evidence on the validity and reliability of self-reported measures of foods and nutrients in pregnancy. PubMed and EMBASE databases were investigated, and 54 studies were included. Food-frequency questionnaires had acceptable evidence of validity compared with biomarkers (\( \overset{-}{r} \)between 0.04 and 0.58; k = 19), 24-hour recall (\( \overset{-}{r} \)between 0.12 and 0.63; k = 11), and food records (\( \overset{-}{r} \)between 0.28 and 0.65; k = 12). Dietary history (\( \overset{-}{r} \)between 0.07 and 0.47; k = 7) and food records (\( \overset{-}{r} \)between 0.25 and 0.53; k = 7) had acceptable evidence of validity compared with biomarkers. Twenty-four-hour recall had poor evidence of validity against biomarkers. Evidence on reliability was good for food-frequency questionnaires, acceptable for dietary history, and inconclusive for 24-hour recall. The results suggest that food-frequency questionnaires and food records have the strongest evidence of validity in assessing nutrition during pregnancy, and further studies are needed to validate 24-hour recall and dietary history.

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Acknowledgments

Lydi-Anne Vézina-Im is recipient of a doctoral research award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

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Lydi-Anne Vézina-Im and Julie Robitaille each declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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  1. Department of Food Sciences and Nutrition, Laval University, Québec, Canada, G1V 0A6

    Lydi-Anne Vézina-Im & Julie Robitaille

  2. Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods (INAF), Laval University, Québec, Canada, G1V 0A6

    Lydi-Anne Vézina-Im & Julie Robitaille

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Vézina-Im, LA., Robitaille, J. Validity and Reliability of Self-Reported Measures of Foods and Nutrients in Pregnancy: A Systematic Review. Curr Nutr Rep 3, 245–280 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13668-014-0090-6

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