Reproducibility and validity of a food frequency questionnaire in assessing dietary intakes of low-income Caucasian postpartum women living in Sheffield, United Kingdom.

The aim of this study was to examine the reproducibility and validity of a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for assessing dietary intakes of low-income, Caucasian, English-speaking, postpartum women living in Sheffield, United Kingdom. Data was obtained from a cross-sectional sample of the 'Healthy Start' study; a population-based survey of mothers and infants. Participants completed two FFQs at 4 and 8 weeks postpartum. Measures from 24-hour dietary recalls (24HDRs) were collected at 4, 6, 8 and 12 weeks postpartum. In the reproducibility study, crude Pearson's correlation coefficients ranged from 0.40 (riboflavin) to 0.73 (thiamine), mean value 0.54. In the validation study, crude Pearson correlation coefficients between the FFQ and the measures from the 24HDRs ranged from 0.10 (B12) to 0.55 (manganese), mean value 0.34. Energy-adjustments and corrections for attenuation had no significant effect on the strength of the correlation both observed in the reproducibility and validity study. On average, 68% of the participants were classified correctly, and 3% were misclassified into the extreme opposite quintile of the distribution. The authors conclude that the questionnaire performed well for the majority of nutrients examined and that is a valid tool for ranking individuals according to nutrient distribution.

Are the benefits of the 'Healthy Start' food support scheme sustained at three months postpartum? Results from the Sheffield 'before and after' study.

Early results examining nutritional behaviour of Caucasian, English-speaking, postpartum women living in Sheffield, who were beneficiaries or eligible for the Welfare Food Scheme (WFS) or the Healthy Start (HS) scheme, suggested significant between-groups differences. The aim of this study was to examine whether differences observed at 4 weeks postpartum were sustained over time. Eighty-six WFS and 64 HS participants were recruited at baseline and, thereafter, 53 WFS and 33 HS participants at week 8, and 47 WFS and 39 HS participants at week 12. Dietary intakes were assessed by an interviewer-administered, semi-quantified food frequency questionnaire. At 4 weeks, HS women had higher energy intakes compared to WFS women, (9.7 MJ and 8.1 MJ, respectively). Differences were also sustained at 8 weeks, (8.8 MJ and 7.2 MJ) and 12 weeks (9.4 MJ and 7.6 MJ) for the HS and WFS participants, respectively. Within-groups, energy and most of nutrient intakes did not change appreciably over time. Consumption of fruit and vegetables at baseline, were significantly higher (P = 0.023) for participants under the HS scheme (3.4 portions) compared to WFS participants (2.7 portions). Differences were sustained over time as HS women reported consuming 4.1 and 3.7 portions/day respectively at 8 and 12 weeks, as opposed to 2.8 and 2.7 portions/day reported by WFS women. The study findings provided evidence of the potential effectiveness of the HS scheme in a population subgroup at risk of dietary deficiencies. Early findings could provide a useful snapshot of the diet of such mobile population and should be further exploited.

Effect of the introduction of 'Healthy Start' on dietary behaviour during and after pregnancy: early results from the 'before and after' Sheffield study.

The aim of the study was to examine the effect of the introduction of a new food-support benefit 'Healthy Start' (HS) on dietary intakes and eating patterns of low-income, Caucasian, pregnant and postpartum women living in Sheffield (UK). A before-and-after study comparing nutritional behaviour of participants, who were beneficiaries or eligible for the Welfare Food Scheme (WFS) (phase 1) or HS (phase 2), was conducted. Dietary intakes and eating patterns were assessed using a validated semi-quantified FFQ. In phase 1, 176 WFS subjects (ninety pregnant and eighty-six postpartum) were recruited and in phase 2, there were 160 HS subjects (ninety-six pregnant and sixty-four postpartum). The results suggested that pregnant and postpartum HS women significantly increased their daily intakes of energy, Fe, Ca, folate and vitamin C compared with the WFS women. Observed differences remained significant after controlling for potential confounding effects of known factors, i.e. education and age. HS women were more likely to meet the recommended nutrient intakes for Fe, folate, Ca and vitamin C. HS women ate significantly more mean portions of fruit and vegetables per d (P = 0.004 and P = 0.023) respectively. None of the HS recipients was receiving HS vitamin supplements. The present study showed that pregnant and postpartum HS women increased their food consumption, and a higher proportion of them than the earlier WFS scheme met the recommended intakes for Ca, folate, Fe and vitamin C.