Establishment and application of food frequency questionnaire method among Chinese

OBJECTIVE: To establish, validate and promote the method of food frequency questionnaire( FFQ) in Chinese population. METHODS: From 1996 to 1999, " Prospective study on diet, lifestyle and chronic diseases" was conducted, and 12 000 Chinese residents were investigated. A simplified FFQ including 17 types of foods was first established. In 1998, " Study on the characteristics of diet, nutrition and health of residents in different cuisines in China" was conducted, which surveyed 540 middle-aged and senior people in four cuisine region and a more comprehensive FFQ including 84 types of food in 16 categories was established. From 1999 to 2001, " Study on the reliability and validity of food frequency questionnaire for Chinese diet and nutritional status " was conducted, which surveyed 300 adults and the questionnaire contained 17 types and 149 kinds of food. RESULTS: Studies above established and verified the FFQ which is suitablefor Chinese dietary characteristics and can be applied for different scales. Since 2002, the method of FFQ has been widely applied in more than 20 domestic and foreign studies for dietary evaluations, which contained national surveys and monitoring projects. CONCLUSION: The establishment and application of Chinese FFQ method has promoted the development of Chinese dietary assessment and established a scientific and feasible standard to assess the impacts of long-term dietary habits and nutritional status on health.