Question 3
All three FFQs performed reasonably well at estimating dietary calcium intake. Would you have expected any of the FFQs to be more accurate than the rest, or do the findings from this study seem reasonable?
posted by lynn2552 @ 11:48 AM
10 comments
10 Comments:
I expected the DHQ to not be as accurate due to the fact that it is outdated. I also thought that the short calcium questionnaire would not be accurate because it was so short compared to the others, may not address all aspects of calcium intake. However, the findings of the study do seem reasonable. All the FFQ have strengths and weaknesses that kind of balance each other out, which makes the results of each similar to the results of the other FFQ’s.
I think the findings of the article are very reasonable. It doesn’t pick any one questionnaire out to be the best; it simply states that each has their strengths and weaknesses. The most important thing is to choose the correct one for you application. I can definitely see how some would be more accurate than others depending on the setting. For example, you would want to use a tool that is designed to specifically measure the item you are looking at, and you would also want to take into account your participants and how much time they are willing to put into filling out the forms, if they aren’t interested they may not be reporting their intakes as thoroughly and accurately as needed.
Each of the techniques are both good and bad in their own right. I would think that the DHQ would be the most valuable tool considering it covers such a vast majority of topics and ideas in its 36 page survey. I also thought that the Calcium Questionnaire would have been reliable as well due to the fact that it is solely evaluating calcium content. Just like anything else when dealing with patients, you must evaluate each patient and adjust accordingly. If you see that your patient is not taking the DHQ seriously and having a hard time getting through it then you may have to change your approach and try something new.
Lauren- I completely agree. You definitely need to be able to be flexible depending on the pt you are working with. Some may be more interested in having a very thorough analysis, while others may have a shorter attention span (or may not be in your office on their own free will!!) and would probably benefit from using the shorter FFQs. You might be giving up a small amount of accuracy, but if you had to choose between that and them not completing the survey at all, using the shorter one would be a better choice.
I expected the finding from this study to be relatively accurate. Since the Calcium Questionaire and Short Calcium Questionaire were more tailored towards Ca intake, I assumed that the DHQ would probably not have as high of a score related to finding Ca intake as the other FFQ do. Also, like Lauren mentioned in question 2, the DHQ was extremely long, so you never know if people are actually taking the whole survey seriously or if they are just filling in blanks! This could also alter the accuracy of the FFQ, especially related to the DHQ!
Similar to Steph, I also thought that the DHQ would be less accurate due to it being outdated and not specifically used to target calcium intake. I also expected the short-calcium questionnaire to be less accurate due to it’s short length and less comprehensive food database. However, since the DHQ was so lengthy and had such a comprehensive database, I can understand why the results turned out the way that they did.
I also thought like Steph that the shorter calcium questionnaire would be less valid than the others. I think it shows how you can accurately gauge a person's intake of calcium when you ask the appropriate questions. I also agree that depending on your needs as a clinician including time restraints, screening procedures, and study objectives you might want to utilize the most appropriate questionnaire. If you can accomplish similarly accurate results with a shorter questionnaire then I think that would be the most beneficial survey type. It could be that the accuracy of the longer questionnaire is compromised by a loss of interest from the person filling it out.
Each of the FFQ seemed fairly reasonable especially when taking into account the settings in which they would be used. The Calcium Questionnaire is not necessarily better than the others, but it does increase its accuracy by taking into account the importance of portion size with detailed examples since people often underestimate how much they eat.
Karlie-
I think you bring up a good point that each questionnaire has its own strengths and weaknesses and that the important thing is choosing the one most appropriate to what the situation requires.
I felt that the Ca questionnaire would be the most accurate. It is not used for just a quick screening tool (short ca quest) and it it concentrating on Ca intake and not the entire dietary intake (DHQ). It is also up to date and is able to analyse the new Ca fortified products. It is able to focus and assess just Ca intake.
Post a Comment
<< Home