Food Frequency Questionnaires in Estimating Food Nutrient Intake in Healthy Young Adults

Comparative Assessment of Food Frequency Questionnaires

Fruits and vegetables are an important source of many different phytochemicals that may affect health and accurate dietary assessement tools to quantitate dietary intake are essential. This study will evaluate the correlation of dietary carotenoid intake estimated from two common and one novel food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) with estimated carotenoid intake from 3 day diet records as well as measured blood and skin concentrations of carotenoids. This study will be conducted in healthy adults. These tools may be effective in estimating the level of these compounds in an average diet.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Healthy Subject
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Laboratory Biomarker Analysis; Other: Questionnaire Administration; Device: Spectroscopy

Detailed Description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To examine the relationship between estimated intakes of dietary carotenoids using three different FFQ's and comparing them with estimated carotenoid intake from 3 day diet records and blood and skin measurements.

OUTLINE:

Participants complete the Willett FFQ, the Fred Hutchinson FFQ, and the newly developed Clinton Carotenoid Assessment Tool (CCAT), in random order over a 3 to 4-month period of time with 4-6 weeks between each visit. Prior to each visit, participants also complete a 3-day diet record, a daily sun exposure diary, and a 3-day activity record. Blood samples are collected for plasma carotenoid assessment and and skin carotenoid content is assessed using a resonance Raman spectroscopy.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 100

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Ohio
    • Columbus, Ohio, United States, 43210
      • Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute at Ohio State University Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 16 years to 46 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Participants will be recruited from the Ohio State University Campus, Wexner Medical Center Hospitals, and surrounding greater Columbus area.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Be literate and able to understand English
• Have a body mass index (BMI) between 18.5 and 30 kg/m^2; this represents the lowest end of the healthy BMI range and the upper limit of the overweight BMI range for our target age range
• Be a non-smoker (defined as adults who have never smoked or who have not had a cigarette in the past ten years)
• Not currently be taking any vitamins, minerals, or dietary supplements (or agree to discontinue use for the duration of the study) and agree to consume a standardized daily multivitamin for the remainder of the study (CVS One Daily)
• Voluntarily agree to participate and sign an informed consent document
• Agree to three separate blood draws
• Agree to three separate spectroscopy scans to assess skin carotenoid levels
• Agree to complete three separate 3-day diet records, three separate 3-day activity records, and one habitual physical activity questionnaire

Exclusion Criteria:

• Have an active metabolic or digestive illness, including malabsorptive disorders, renal insufficiency, hepatic insufficiency, hyper- or hypothyroidism, cachexia, morbid obesity, or short bowel syndrome
• Have an active or a recent history of any condition that causes altered immunity, such as chronic inflammatory disease, autoimmune disorders, cancer, anemia, and blood dyscrasias
• Are heavy alcohol consumers (defined as an average consumption of greater than 2 drinks/day)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Observational Models: Cohort
• Time Perspectives: Prospective

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Intervention / Treatment

Observational (Willett FFQ, Fred Hutchinson FFQ, CCAT); After consenting to participate in this study, participants will visit the Clinical Research Center (CRC) on 3 occasions. One of the three FFQ's will be completed at each visit and there will be 4 to 6 weeks between visits. Participants will also complete a blood draw and assessment of skin carotenoids at this CRC visit. Prior to each visit, participants will complete a 3-day diet record, a daily sun exposure diary, and a 3-day activity record.

Other: Laboratory Biomarker Analysis; Correlative studies; Other: Questionnaire Administration; Complete the Willett FFQ, the Fred Hutchinson FFQ, and the CCAT; Device: Spectroscopy; Undergo resonance Raman spectroscopy

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
FFQ estimated carotenoid intake	The relationship between the carotenoid values from the FFQ, both the unadjusted and the energy-adjusted estimates, and averages of the 3-day diet records will be estimated using the Pearson correlation coefficients. Statistical analysis will be conducted using Stata version 11.	Up to 3 months
Levels of carotenoids in plasma	Pearson correlations will be used to compare plasma levels of individual carotenoids with their respective dietary intake after adjustment for total energy, plasma cholesterol, plasma triglycerides, and BMI. Statistical analysis will be conducted using Stata version 11.	Up to 3 months
CCAT ability to estimate carotenoid intake	CCAT carotenoid intake will be correlated with blood carotenoid profiles. Statistical analysis will be conducted using Stata version 11.	Up to 3 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Steven Clinton, MD, PhD, Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: January 1, 2015
• Primary Completion (Actual): July 1, 2015
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 18, 2015
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 18, 2015
• First Posted (Estimated): November 20, 2015

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): November 5, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 3, 2025
• Last Verified: November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Investigative Techniques; Chemistry Techniques, Analytical; Spectrum Analysis
• Other Study ID Numbers: OSU 14222; NCI-2015-00069 (Registry Identifier: CTRP (Clinical Trial Reporting Program))