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. 2017 Dec;19(12):1214-1230.
doi: 10.1111/jch.13148.

Assessment of dietary sodium intake using a food frequency questionnaire and 24-hour urinary sodium excretion: a systematic literature review

Rachael M McLean  1 , Victoria L Farmer  2 , Alice Nettleton  2 , Claire M Cameron  1 , Nancy R Cook  3 , Norman R C Campbell  4 ; TRUE Consortium (International Consortium for Quality Research on Dietary Sodium/Salt)
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Assessment of dietary sodium intake using a food frequency questionnaire and 24-hour urinary sodium excretion: a systematic literature review

Rachael M McLean et al. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2017 Dec.

Abstract

Food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) are often used to assess dietary sodium intake, although 24-hour urinary excretion is the most accurate measure of intake. The authors conducted a systematic review to investigate whether FFQs are a reliable and valid way of measuring usual dietary sodium intake. Results from 18 studies are described in this review, including 16 validation studies. The methods of study design and analysis varied widely with respect to FFQ instrument, number of 24-hour urine collections collected per participant, methods used to assess completeness of urine collections, and statistical analysis. Overall, there was poor agreement between estimates from FFQ and 24-hour urine. The authors suggest a framework for validation and reporting based on a consensus statement (2004), and recommend that all FFQs used to estimate dietary sodium intake undergo validation against multiple 24-hour urine collections.

Keywords: diet surveys; sodium dietary; urine specimen collection.

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Conflict of interest statement

NC is a member of World Action on Salt and Health (a dietary salt reduction organization) and is a paid consultant for the Novartis Foundation, which involves travel expenses and personal fees for site visits; received a one‐time contract (2016) to develop a survey; and was a paid member of an advisory board for Midmark in 2017. The other authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flow diagram search strategy. *Some studies included several methods of dietary assessment. FFQ indicates food frequency questionnaire
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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