Development of the vegetarian/vegan food frequency questionnaire (VE-FFQ) to assess dietary intake within the OMIVECA study

Resumen del trabajo presentado al XXXIII Congreso de la Sociedad Española de Nutrición, celebrado en Granada del 19 al 21 de junio de 2024.

[Background and aims] Plant-based foods are the primary source of bioactive compounds in diets. However, existing dietary assessment tools, such as food frequency questionnaires (FFQs), currently fail to adequately capture the full range of plant-based foods. The aim of the OMIVECA study is to adapt a Spanish FFQ to include plant-based foods that have become popular in recent years.

[Methods] A market study was conducted to identify vegetarian-like foods on the Spanish market, to be included in the VE-FFQ (Rodriguez-Martin et al. 2023). A team of researchers involving nutritionists, along with a group of vegetarian individuals, decided about the selection of the foods and food groups, i.e., food items. A previously validated FFQ (Ballart et al. 2010) of 137 food items was used to integrate these foods. The food´s portion sizes were based on the vegetarian and vegan food pyramids of the Spanish Vegetarian Union.

[Results] The VE-FFQ was divided into the following sections: dairy, poultry and eggs, beef, ox, pork, lamb or goat, other meats, fish, precooked products, vegetables and legumes, fruits, bread and cereals, oils, sweets/pastries, and beverages. The vegan/vegetarian food section comprised 33 food items, the food groups being: vegetable proteins, meat alternatives, precooked-meals, sweets, spreads, and plant-based beverages, among others. Thus, the total number of food items in the VE-FFQ questionnaire was 170.

[Conclusion] The VE-FFQ includes a wide range of plant-based foods, and can, thus, be considered a comprehensive dietary assessment tool, applicable to various populations, including vegans/vegetarians. This tool requires validation for widespread use.

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