Reliability of Web-Based and Interview-Administered Food Frequency Questionnaires

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

2 International UNESCO Center for Health-Related Basic Sciences and Human Nutrition, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

3 Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

4 Department of Biostatistics, School of Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

5 Brighton & Sussex Medical School, Division of Medical Education, Falmer, Brighton, Sussex BN19PH, UK

6 Student Research Committee, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

7 Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

10.30476/ijns.2026.106069.1424

Abstract

Background: Web-based food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) can overcome the limitations of paper-based questionnaires by allowing for complex skip patterns, portion size estimation based on food images, and real-time error checking. The aim of this study was to compare webbased and interview-administered FFQs in evaluation of dietary intake, using 24-hour recalls as the gold standard.
Methods: A total of 3,000 subjects were recruited from participants in the Mashhad Stroke and Heart Atherosclerotic Disorder (MASHAD) Cohort Study. Participants were 35-65 years old. Nutritional assessment was conducted using a validated semi-quantitative FFQ consisted of 65 food items. Subjects were allocated to either the web-based FFQ or the interview-administered FFQ groups. Participants completed the web-based FFQ online, while the interview-administered FFQ and 24- hour recalls in paper format. They were completed by trained health professionals through face-to-face interviews.
Results: In both groups, females comprised the majority, representing 66.2% and 63.9% of the web-based FFQ and interview-administered FFQ populations, respectively. A significant correlation was observed between FFQ results and daily intake estimates obtained from 24-hour recalls in both the web-based and interview-administered groups, though the correlation was stronger for the interview-administered FFQ.
Conclusion: The stronger correlations observed for the interviewadministered FFQ may be attributed to the fact that paper questionnaires were completed with the assistance of trained interviewers.

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