Methodological considerations in assessing food and nutrient intakes in cigarette smokers

Thompson, Rachel Louise (1993) Methodological considerations in assessing food and nutrient intakes in cigarette smokers. University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.

Abstract

The methodological issues of using a food frequency questionnaire as an alternative to a weighed record to assess dietary habits have been investigated using the observed dietary differences between smokers, ex-smokers and never smokers as a model. A food frequency questionniare has been compared with a 10 day weighed record in 301 smokers. A good agreement between the dietary methods was obtained using conventional calibration methods but a graphical method that looked at the agreement between the methods over the range of intakes showed that the agreement was not the same across all intake for energy, fat and types of fat in men and vitamin C in women. The comparison revealed some differences in agreement between the methods by method of recruitment of subjects, in particular for vitamin C and alcohol in men. A `correction' method based upon the graphical calibration method has been employed so that the corrected absolute nutrient intakes derived by the food frequency questionnaire were similar to those estimated usig a weighed record.

Using the food frequency questionnaire in its corrected form a comaprison was made between cigarette smokers, ex-cigarette smokers and never smokers and showed that the smokers consumed more beverages (with added sugar), spread on bread and fat in cooking than non-smokers. Whereas non-smokers consumer a diet higher in breakfast cereal, cakes and biscuits, and bread than smokers. These differences in food patterns lead to different nutrient intakes with smokers consuming more energy, fat, saturated fat and sugar than non-smokers. Non-smokers consume more polynsaturated fat, carbohydrate, fibre and vitamins than smokers.

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