Dietary intake and development of a quantitative FFQ for a nutritional intervention to reduce the risk of chronic disease in the Navajo Nation

Sangita Sharma, Mihokom Yacavone, Xia Cao, Marla Pardilla, Muge Qi, Joel Gittelsohn

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

18 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objectives To characterize dietary intake for Navajo adults, to identify foods for a nutritional intervention programme and to develop a culturally appropriate quantitative FFQ (QFFQ) for evaluating the impact of the intervention programme.Design A cross-sectional study was conducted using 24 h dietary recalls.Setting Navajo Nation, USA.Subjects Seventy-nine (forty men, thirty-nine women) aged 18-71 years completed 24 h dietary recalls.Results The median daily energy intake was 11 585 kJ (2769 kcal) for men and 8519 kJ (2036 kcal) for women. The greatest contributors to energy were fried potato dishes, sweetened juices/drinks, regular pop, bread, tortillas and burritos (contributing approximately 30 % of total energy intake). The mean number of meat servings was over twice that recommended (2-3 servings recommended v. 7·4 consumed by men and 5·3 by women). The mean servings of vegetables were well below the recommendation of 3-5 servings (1·0 serving for men and 1·2 servings for women). The final QFFQ contains 177 food and drink items.Conclusions Our study found that major contributors to total energy, fat and sugar intakes in the Navajo Nation included mostly processed meats and sweetened drinks. A nutritional intervention will target these foods and promote acceptable and healthier alternatives. In addition, we were able to identify foods and beverages for inclusion on a culturally appropriate QFFQ to assess dietary intake. This QFFQ will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of our intervention on food and food group consumption and nutrient intake.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)350-359
Number of pages10
JournalPublic health nutrition
Volume13
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 2010

Keywords

  • Dietary assessment
  • Food and nutrient intake
  • Navajo Nation
  • Quantitative food-frequency questionnaire

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Medicine (miscellaneous)
  • Nutrition and Dietetics
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

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