Food frequency questionnaires developed and validated in Brazil: A scoping review protocol

PLoS One. 2023 Nov 20;18(11):e0294450. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0294450. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

A food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) is used to assess habitual food and nutrient intake. The choice of a FFQ should consider the study objectives, instrument particularities, target population, and geographic region. Over the past few years, FFQs have been constructed and validated in Brazil for children, adolescents, adults, athletes, and individuals with specific clinical conditions. The aim of this scoping review is to map the food frequency questionnaires developed and validated in Brazil. The Population-Concept-Context (PCC) framework was used for search strategy and defined as P-not applicable (open), C-food frequency questionnaire, and C-Brazil. FFQ validation studies performed with healthy or sick people will be included, regardless of clinical condition, age, sex, or region in the country. Studies with populations from other countries will be excluded. The review will be conducted in accordance with JBI (formerly known as Joanna Briggs Institute) methodology for scoping reviews. Search databases will include PubMed/MEDLINE, LILACS, Embase, Web of Science (ISI), Scopus, and Google Scholar. Data extraction will be performed by two independent reviewers and discrepancies resolved by a third reviewer. In order to improve the understanding and contextualization of the studies, a description of the results and presentation in tables and figures will be provided. Applications and implications for future research, practices, and policies will be discussed. Our protocol is registered through the Open Science Framework (doi 10.17605/OSF.IO/G5J3K).

MeSH terms

  • Academies and Institutes*
  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Athletes*
  • Brazil
  • Child
  • Databases, Factual
  • Humans
  • Research Design
  • Review Literature as Topic
  • Surveys and Questionnaires

Grants and funding

This research was financed in part by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel, Brazil (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES, Brasil), Finance Code 001. Website: https://www.gov.br/capes/pt-br. The funders did not and will not have a role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.