SDQ: An Evaluation Of Dietary Habits

3. METHODS REQUIRED TO VALIDATE SHORT DIETARY QUESTIONS The SDQ is an essential epidemiological research tool used to measure and evaluate food and nutrition dietary habits at both the individual and population level and therefore assessing its reliability and validity is crucial in order to collect accurate and consistent data (Tayyem et al. 2014). Tayyem et al. (2014) suggest that SDQs should be validated at different population sub-groups (children, adults, Aboriginals or religious groups) because dietary patterns vary and is influenced by factors such as social, cultural, ethnic and religious factors. The SDQ should be validate in the target population to increase reliability (Giovannelli et al. 2014). It is important to choice appropriate
The 24 HDR involves interviews were the participants are required to recall what they have consumed in the last 24 hours and then the Na of the food can be determined from Food Composition Databases (FCD) (Defagó & Perovic 2015). This data is then statistically compared to the SDQ data to produce Pearson coefficient that will be used to evaluate the validity and reliability of the SDQ (Giovannelli et al.
2014). The WFR involves participants recording and weighing all food and drinks consumed over 3 consecutive days including 1 weekend day (Collins et al. 2014). The use of standardised weigh scales and instructions on how to weigh and record the food and drinks needs to be provided for the participants (Collins et al. 2014). The Na content can then be determined accurately using a food composition database (Defagó & Perovic 2015). This method is extremely useful in the assessment non-discretionary Na sources (Collins et al. 2014). Like the 24 HDR and 3 day food record Na data from the WRF can be statistically analysed against the SDQ data and Pearson correlation used to assess validity and reliability (Giovannelli et al.