Skip to content

Dietary Assessment in Rwanda - Food Frequency Questionnaire

Development and Evaluation of a Semi-quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire for Use in Urban and Rural Communities of Rwanda

Status
Completed
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Observational
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT04202107
Acronym
FFQ Rwanda
Enrollment
200
Registered
2019-12-17
Start date
2020-01-30
Completion date
2021-12-31
Last updated
2022-11-15

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Dietary Assessment

Keywords

Dietary assessment, Food Frequency Questionnaire, multi-pass 24 hour food recall, semi-quantitative

Brief summary

The burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Rwanda is adding to the health burden in the country which is facing the nutritional transition and the double burden of malnutrition. Diet is an established risk factor in NCDs, hence the importance to assess accurately the changes in dietary habits occurring in the population. The objective is to develop and validate a food frequency questionnaire in Rwanda.

Detailed description

In many developing countries, including Rwanda, the lack of developed and validated questionnaires is among major challenges for dietary assessment in nutritional surveys. Questionnaires are mostly borrowed from other communities. This can increase the error range due to low adaptation to local context, especially when they are not validated and may not have similar objectives. One Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) does not capture dietary history in two different countries or regions, unless their diets are similar. Besides, the diet changes with time, where new foods are introduced in diet and others may disappear. In Rwanda, one FFQ has been developed to cover only the eastern part of the country, but none for the entire country (Cade et al., 2001; FAO, 2018). It is then very important to develop and validate an update and general FFQ that can be used across the country to measure the dietary intake to have a better interpretation of the study findings from the Rwandan context. The overall objective is to develop and validate a semi-quantitative FFQ that can be used to assess the food and nutrient intake in urban and rural communities of Rwanda. Specific objectives include: 1. To collect data on diet intake of selected participants by using a 24-H recall questionnaire that includes pictures on the approximate quantities consumed in each occasion. 2. To develop a list of food items from commonly consumed food by study participants using the compiled 24-h recall questionnaire to use for an FFQ development. Additionally, an open question format to collect information on foods consumed during social gathering and festivals will be used to include unreported foods. FFQ shall include additionally the food portion size, and the frequency of intake over a reference period of one year. 3. To assess the accuracy of the developed FFQ in estimating energy and nutrient intake using the 24-H dietary recall as a benchmark of accuracy.

Interventions

Food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) are a common method for measuring dietary intake in large epidemiological studies, in particular in low literacy settings were diaries and food history would not be viable.

Standardized and validated approach of collecting all foods, beverages, and supplements consumed during the past 24 hours

Sponsors

University of Rwanda
CollaboratorOTHER
Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Sante, Burkina Faso
CollaboratorOTHER_GOV
University Ghent
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 49 Years

Inclusion criteria

* Permanent residence of the selected urban or rural villages * Holding a valid health insurance card * Aged between 18 and 49 years * Signing informed consent form * Familiar with the diet and cooking practices * Registration in city demographic system, since study participants will be selected from population registration cards at village level, * Accept enumerators for home visit and data collection for one year

Exclusion criteria

* Mental disorders such as clinically diagnosed depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders and addictive behaviors

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Median proportion of energy intake from carbohydrates assessed by the 24 hour recallsOne yearMedian proportion of energy intake from carbohydrates (starch from grains and tubers such as corn, pasta, rice, potatoes, breads), natural sugars from fruits and juices, and added sugars found in soft drinks, candy, fruit drinks, and desserts) assessed by the 24 hour recalls Adults should get 45 percent to 65 percent of their calories from carbohydrates
Median proportion of energy intake from carbohydrates assessed by the Food Frequency QuestionnaireOne yearMedian proportion of energy intake from carbohydrates (starch from grains and tubers such as corn, pasta, rice, potatoes, breads), natural sugars from fruits and juices, and added sugars found in soft drinks, candy, fruit drinks, and desserts) assessed by the Food Frequency Questionnaire. Adults should get 45 percent to 65 percent of their calories from carbohydrates
Median proportion of energy intake from fat assessed by the 24 hour recallsOne yearMedian proportion of energy intake from fat (Butter, margarine, vegetable oils, whole milk, visible fat on meat and poultry products, invisible fat in fish, shellfish, some plant products such as seeds and nuts, and bakery products) assessed by the 24 hour recalls. Adults should get 20 percent to 35 percent of their calories from fat
Median proportion of energy intake from fat assessed by the Food Frequency QuestionnaireOne yearMedian proportion of energy intake from fat (Butter, margarine, vegetable oils, whole milk, visible fat on meat and poultry products, invisible fat in fish, shellfish, some plant products such as seeds and nuts, and bakery products) assessed by the Food Frequency Questionnaire. Adults should get 20 percent to 35 percent of their calories from fat
Median proportion of energy intake from proteins assessed by the 24 hour recallsOne yearMedian proportion of energy intake from proteins (from animal sources, such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, cheese, and yogurt; and proteins from plants, legumes, grains, nuts, seeds, and vegetables) assessed by the 24 hour recalls. Adults should get 10 to 35 percent of their calories from protein
Median proportion of energy intake from proteins assessed by the Food Frequency QuestionnaireOne yearMedian proportion of energy intake from proteins (from animal sources, such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, cheese, and yogurt; and proteins from plants, legumes, grains, nuts, seeds, and vegetables) assessed by the Food Frequency Questionnaire. Adults should get 10 to 35 percent of their calories from protein
Median daily intake of fibers assessed by the 24 hour recallsOne yearMedian daily intake of fibers (in gram; Includes dietary fiber naturally present in grains, such as found in oats, wheat, or unmilled rice; and functional fiber synthesized or isolated from plants or animals) assessed by the 24 hour recalls. The recommended intake for total fiber for adults 50 years and younger is set at 38 grams for men and 25 grams for women
Median daily intake of fibers assessed by the Food Frequency QuestionnaireOne yearMedian daily intake of fibers (in gram; Includes dietary fiber naturally present in grains, such as found in oats, wheat, or unmilled rice; and functional fiber synthesized or isolated from plants or animals) assessed by the Food Frequency Questionnaire. The recommended intake for total fiber for adults 50 years and younger is set at 38 grams for men and 25 grams for women

Countries

Rwanda

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026