Assessing Dietary Intake in Women: A Systematic Review of Gender-Specific Food Frequency Questionnaires

Ayşegül Kartal Acet; Zeynep Göktaş

doi:10.21020/husbfd.1911688

Assessing Dietary Intake in Women: A Systematic Review of Gender-Specific Food Frequency Questionnaires

Abstract

Objective: To classify various food frequency questionnaires that have been developed and validated specifically for women. Materials and Methods: The researchers reviewed the available literature to identify food frequency questionnaires specifically developed and/or validated for non-pregnant women. To assess the validity and reproducibility of the questionnaires, correlation coefficients were examined between reference methods and FFQ estimates, as well as between repeated administrations of the same FFQs. Systematic search was conducted using PubMed, Science Direct and, Web of Science. The target of the review was the healthy non-pregnant women. Results: Fourteen eligible papers were included and analyzed in this review. The correlation coefficients between the nutrients measured by the food frequency questionnaires and the reference measurements varied between 0.11 and 0.81 for the general FFQs. All of the proposed questionnaires, except for one, proved to be valid. Among the studies, three reported high correlations (r ≥ 0.60) between FFQ estimates and the reference measure, seven presented moderate correlations (r = 0.40-0.59), two had fair correlations (r = 0.30-0.39), and one had poor correlations (r < 0.3) for certain nutrients derived from the FFQs. Design and validation issues such as portion-size estimation, correlation coefficients and, quality assessment scores were highlighted. Conclusions: There are existing, validated food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) designed specifically for assessing women's nutritional intake; however, more research is necessary. Future studies should focus on creating FFQs that are tailored to specific goals, taking into account factors like age, gender, and ethnicity.

Keywords

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Public Health Nutrition

Journal Section

Systematic Reviews and Meta Analysis

Authors

Ayşegül Kartal Acet This is me
0009-0008-4019-6518
United States

Zeynep Göktaş ^*
0000-0001-7241-8017
Türkiye

Publication Date

August 28, 2026

Submission Date

March 18, 2026

Acceptance Date

June 22, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 13 Number: 2

DOI

https://doi.org/10.21020/husbfd.1911688

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA26FN96YS

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Kartal Acet, A., & Göktaş, Z. (2026). Assessing Dietary Intake in Women: A Systematic Review of Gender-Specific Food Frequency Questionnaires. Hacettepe University Faculty of Health Sciences Journal, 13(2), 534-556. https://doi.org/10.21020/husbfd.1911688

AMA

1.Kartal Acet A, Göktaş Z. Assessing Dietary Intake in Women: A Systematic Review of Gender-Specific Food Frequency Questionnaires. HUFHSJ. 2026;13(2):534-556. doi:10.21020/husbfd.1911688

Chicago

Kartal Acet, Ayşegül, and Zeynep Göktaş. 2026. “Assessing Dietary Intake in Women: A Systematic Review of Gender-Specific Food Frequency Questionnaires”. Hacettepe University Faculty of Health Sciences Journal 13 (2): 534-56. https://doi.org/10.21020/husbfd.1911688.

EndNote

Kartal Acet A, Göktaş Z (August 1, 2026) Assessing Dietary Intake in Women: A Systematic Review of Gender-Specific Food Frequency Questionnaires. Hacettepe University Faculty of Health Sciences Journal 13 2 534–556.

IEEE

[1]A. Kartal Acet and Z. Göktaş, “Assessing Dietary Intake in Women: A Systematic Review of Gender-Specific Food Frequency Questionnaires”, HUFHSJ, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 534–556, Aug. 2026, doi: 10.21020/husbfd.1911688.

ISNAD

Kartal Acet, Ayşegül - Göktaş, Zeynep. “Assessing Dietary Intake in Women: A Systematic Review of Gender-Specific Food Frequency Questionnaires”. Hacettepe University Faculty of Health Sciences Journal 13/2 (August 1, 2026): 534-556. https://doi.org/10.21020/husbfd.1911688.

JAMA

1.Kartal Acet A, Göktaş Z. Assessing Dietary Intake in Women: A Systematic Review of Gender-Specific Food Frequency Questionnaires. HUFHSJ. 2026;13:534–556.

MLA

Kartal Acet, Ayşegül, and Zeynep Göktaş. “Assessing Dietary Intake in Women: A Systematic Review of Gender-Specific Food Frequency Questionnaires”. Hacettepe University Faculty of Health Sciences Journal, vol. 13, no. 2, Aug. 2026, pp. 534-56, doi:10.21020/husbfd.1911688.

Vancouver

1.Ayşegül Kartal Acet, Zeynep Göktaş. Assessing Dietary Intake in Women: A Systematic Review of Gender-Specific Food Frequency Questionnaires. HUFHSJ. 2026 Aug. 1;13(2):534-56. doi:10.21020/husbfd.1911688