Polyunsaturated fatty acid food frequency questionnaire validation in people with end stage renal disease on dialysis: PUFA FFQ validation in dialysis patients

AIM: To validate the polyunsaturated food frequency questionnaire (PUFA FFQ) and test for reproducibility in people with end stage renal disease on dialysis treatment. METHODS: Participants (n = 32) completed the PUFA FFQ and three 24-hour recalls. Erythrocyte samples (n = 29) were used for erythrocyte fatty acid analysis. The triangular relationship between the PUFA FFQ, 24-hour recalls and the biomarker was assessed using the method of triads. Agreement between the two dietary methods was also assessed using Bland-Altman plots and classification by quintiles. Reproducibility was tested on a subset of the group (n = 8). RESULTS: The PUFA FFQ was a valid measure of all PUFA except for docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) and arachidonic acid (AA). Strong validity coefficients were found for n-3 long-chain PUFA (LCPUFA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) of 0.914 (95% CI: 0.665, 0.997) and 0.889 (95% CI: 0.706, 0.994), respectively. In the Bland-Altman plots 91-100% of observations fell between the limits of agreement for all PUFA. There were significant correlations between the initial FFQ and the repeat FFQ for all PUFA except DPA and AA. CONCLUSIONS: The PUFA FFQ is a valid tool for assessing PUFA intake in people with end stage renal disease.