# Reproducibility and validity of a food frequency questionnaire among pregnant women in a Mediterranean area
Canonical: https://nutritionizm.com/research/10-1186-1475-2891-12-26/
Last verified: 2013-01-01
Source: Nutrition Journal (2013), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2891-12-26
License: USDA FoodData Central values are public domain (CC0 1.0); Nutritionizm compilation and plain-language text are licensed under CC BY 4.0 (attribution: link to Canonical URL).

## TL;DR

A food survey given to pregnant women showed reliable results for overall food intake and matched blood levels for several key vitamins.

## What they did

Researchers studied 740 pregnant women in Valencia. They asked the women to fill out a food survey at two different times during pregnancy. They also compared the survey answers to vitamin levels found in blood tests from the first trimester.

## What they found

The survey showed an average correlation of 0.51 for food groups and 0.61 for nutrients between the two time periods. Blood test comparisons showed significant correlations for vitamin C at 0.18, alpha-carotene at 0.32, and beta-carotene at 0.22. When counting supplements, the blood correlation rose to 0.53 for folate and 0.20 for vitamin C.

## Why it matters

Studies suggest that accurate dietary surveys may help scientists better track what mothers eat. Good tracking tools are linked to stronger research on how daily foods support pregnancy. This may help experts learn how common meals connect to maternal health.

## Limits

The abstract does not discuss study limits. This is general education, not medical advice.

## Jargon explained

- **Food frequency questionnaire**: A checklist that asks how often someone eats specific foods over time.
- **Biomarkers**: Natural clues in blood or tissue that measure nutrient levels in the body.

## Full citation

INMA-Valencia Cohort Study, Jesús Vioqué, Eva María Navarrete‐Muñoz, Daniel Giménez-Monzó, Manuela García de la Hera, Fernando Granado, Ian Stuart Young, Rosa Ramón, Ferrán Ballester, Mario Murcia, Marisa Rebagliato, Carmen Íñiguez (2013). Reproducibility and validity of a food frequency questionnaire among pregnant women in a Mediterranean area. *Nutrition Journal*. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2891-12-26