Food Frequency Questionnaire: Is It Time for a Re-Vamp? A Kaupapa Māori Critique of Dietary Recall and Assessment Tools ^†

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the largest cause of death in New Zealand, Aotearoa, causing 33% of all deaths, with one in twenty-one adults currently living with heart disease. There is a well-known equity gap in disease prevalence and mortality rate between Māori and other New Zealanders, with the total CVD mortality being twice as high for Māori compared to others. From a nutritional perspective, when considering how to address these significant inequities, it is essential to develop tools that provide practical solutions to effectively engage Māori communities and whānau and are also fit for purpose. The assessment of dietary recall is often undertaken to establish the association between dietary intake, health and disease. A food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) is often used as a dietary assessment tool within clinical, community and research settings. Anecdotal evidence gained from discussions with researchers, academics and Māori research participants involved in a recent Kaupapa Māori nutrition intervention funded by the Heart Foundation identified a potential need for an in-depth look at how fit for purpose current dietary recall tools are, such as the food frequency questionnaire. This presentation will form part of a scoping exercise to inform a Kaupapa Māori Master’s thesis looking at barriers and enablers to administering and filling out dietary recall questionnaires to assess dietary intake. It will briefly look at FFQ examples and discuss qualitative feedback received from research participants. The focus of the presentation will look at the different protocols commonly utilised in administering FFQs and any adaptations or alternatives used to support different populations. Furthermore, it will look at what challenges participants have in completing FFQs. Results: Feedback from Māori participants of the Heart Foundation nutrition research highlighted challenges to the cultural appropriateness, health literacy and ease of filling out FFQs.