What does the FFQ actually measure?
The current FFQ comprises a food list of 74 items with 10 frequency response options ranging from ‘never’ to ‘3 or more times per day”. . It also contains 4 sets of photographs of scaled portions (used to calculate a portion size calibrator), questions on the overall frequency of consumption of fruit and vegetables, and some foods, which do not fit easily into the frequent format. The 74 food items are grouped into 4 categories: 1) cereals, sweets and snacks; 2) dairy products, meat and fish; 3) fruit; and 4) vegetables, and separate questions for alcohol.
