Can I use the FFQ to measure a month or 3-month of dietary intake?
Our FFQs have been designed to measure usual eating habits over a 12-month period. They have also been validated on intake for a 12-month period. They may not be sensitive to small changes in intake, and thus may not be appropriate for measuring short-term dietary change in response to interventions. By confining the FFQ to a 3-month period, there may be inaccuracies due to several factors: • The availability of fruit and vegetables vary due to their season, which may exclude some items depending on which time of the year the FFQ is completed. • Alcohol consumption may be overestimated if the FFQ is completed at a time when there have been more occasions where alcohol was consumed, compared to the rest of the year. • Periods of fasting or religious events (this may or may not be relevant to the study population) • Holidays (may affect the amounts and types of foods eaten during this period).
