• Sheila Monteiro Brito, Jerusa da Mota Santana, Marcos Pereira, Djanilson Barbosa Santos, and Ana Marlucia Oliveira.
• MSc, PhD. Adjunct Professor, Health Care Practices: Nutrition, Health Sciences Center, Universidade Federal do Recôncavo da Bahia (UFRB), Santo Antônio de Jesus (BA), Brazil.
• Sao Paulo Med J. 2023 Jan 1; 142 (2): e2023059e2023059.

BackgroundFew food frequency questionnaires (FFQ) have been validated for pregnant women, particularly those in small- and medium-sized cities in different regions of Brazil.ObjectivesTo validate and calibrate a semiquantitative FFQ for pregnant women.Design And SettingThe study was validated with a sample of 50 pregnant women (≥ 18 years) enrolled in Brazilian prenatal services.MethodsAn FFQ and a 24-hour recall were used to evaluate dietary intake. Dietary variables were tested for normality and log-converted when asymmetrical. Pearson's Correlation Coefficient was used to validate the questionnaire. Linear regression was applied to extract calibration factors. All variables underlying the consumption analysis were adjusted for energy.ResultsThe mean age of the pregnant women was 26 years ± 6.2 years; 58% were in their first trimester, and 30% were identified as overweight/obese. The Pearson correlation analysis results indicated that the FFQ overestimated energy and nutrient intake, whose coefficients ranged from -0.15 (monounsaturated fat) to 0.50 (carbohydrate). Adjusting for energy reduced the mean values of intake coefficients, which now ranged from -0.33 (sodium) to 0.96 (folate). The calibration analysis results indicated variation in the coefficients from -0.23 (sodium) to 1.00 (folate). Calibration produced satisfactory coefficients for the FFQ compared with the reference standard for energy, macronutrients, monounsaturated fat, cholesterol, vitamins B12/C, folate, sodium, iron, and calcium.ConclusionsAfter validating and calibrating tests, we observed that the FFQ was adequately accurate for assessing the food consumption of the pregnant women in this study.

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