Questionnaires & Screeners

Overview

All Block questionnaires and screeners for assessment of diet and physical activity are available for administration in two different formats:

• Paper-and-pencil.
  Investigator purchases scannable paper questionnaire booklets from us, administers these to study subjects, and returns completed questionnaires to us for processing. We scan, calculate nutrient or physical activity estimates, and return the data to the investigator in an electronic file suitable for statistical analysis. Individual reports for study subjects are also available.
  
  
• Electronic.
  Using the NutritionQuest Data-on-Demand System, study subjects may self-administer a questionnaire online. Alternatively, an interviewer may use the online system to administer the questionnaire to the study participant. The electronic version of a questionnaire also may be downloaded to a desktop computer or laptop, for "offline" administration by an interviewer. For data analysis and storage, offline files are uploaded to the online system. Raw data and nutrient analyses are available to investigator in a secure online database through the NutritionQuest Data-On-Demand System.
  
  Click here to read more about the Data-On-Demand System.
  

Since 1982, Block Questionnaires have been developed using a data-based approach to questionnaire design. That is we use large representative national dietary surveys such as the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to inform the selection of the foods (or physical activities) to be asked about, as well as to identify appropriate portion sizes and nutrient composition to apply. Use of NHANES to identify food lists has several advantages. By identifying the most important contributors of each nutrient, we can develop a food list that includes the most important foods to include, while maintaining the shortest list possible to capture the nutrients effectively. In addition, we perform this process separately for Whites, African Americans and Hispanics, to ensure that the list is appropriate for these ethnic groups.

Click here to read more about dietary analysis.
Click here to read more about validation and other references.

Electronic versions of Block food frequency and physical activity questionnaires are available through the Nutritionquest Data-On-Demand System. These were developed through a stepwise series of formative evaluations - an iterative process involving design, usability testing, and redesign. The end result is an application with an intuitive, easy to use interface that includes user-responsive buttons, visual cues, and online Help. Our electronic questionnaires ensure greater accuracy by preventing skipped questions and by storing data after every response. Both administration time and respondent burden are minimized through extensive, logical question branching.

Tailored Questionnaires and Screeners

Upon request, we tailor Block questionnaires and screeners to target certain nutrients or foods, or groups of people by region, gender, age, ethnicity, or language. We have provided this service for a wide variety of research units in government, academia and industry. To discuss the special requirements of your study or project design, please contact us at sales@nutritionquest.com or (510) 704-8514.

Food Frequency Questionnaires for Adults

Food Screeners for Adults

• Block Fat/Sugar/Fruit/Vegetable Screener
  This screener contains 50 questions and takes about 10-12 minutes to complete. Portion size is asked for 32 food items. A series of "adjustment" questions ask about usual intake of low-fat/trans-fat free or low-carbohydrate/low-sugar versions of various foods. Analysis produces estimates of saturated fat, trans fat, "added" sugar (in sweetened cereals, soft drinks, and sweets), fruit and vegetable intake.
  
  
• Block Dietary Fat Screener
  This brief screening tool includes 17 questions, and takes 5 minutes to complete. In its self-administered paper-and-pencil version - useful for clinical applications - it was designed to rank individuals with regard to their usual fat intake. Data collected using this form also may be analyzed using prediction equations to generate point estimates of total fat (gms), saturated fat (gms), percent calories from fat, and cholesterol (gms). Portion sizes are not asked. Spanish version also available.
  
  Click here to try out this screener online.
  Click here to download an article describing development and validation of this screener.
  
  
• Block Fruit/Vegetable/Fiber Screener
  This brief screening tool includes 7 questions about fruit and vegetable intake and 3 questions about foods high in fiber. It takes about 5 minutes to complete. In its self-administered paper-and-pencil version - useful for clinical applications - it ranks individuals with regard to their usual intake of fruits and vegetables. Data collected using this form also may be analyzed using prediction equations to generate point estimates of total fruit/vegetable servings, Vitamin C (mg), magnesium (mg), potassium (mg), and dietary fiber (gms). Portion sizes are not asked. Spanish version also available.
  
  Click here to try out this screener online.
  Click here to download an article describing development and validation of this screener.
  
  
• Block Calcium/Vitamin D Screener
  This brief screening tool was developed from the NHANES 1999-2001 dietary recall data. It includes 19 food items, 3 supplement questions, and questions to adjust for food fortification practices. This screener takes 7-8 minutes to complete.
  
  
• Block Folic Acid/Dietary Folate Equivalents Screener
  This brief screening tool was developed from the NHANES 1999-2001 dietary recall data. It includes 21 questions. Portion sizes are not asked. It takes 5-8 minutes to complete, and provides separate estimates of total, supplement and food-only intake. For validation information see: Clifford AJ, Noceti EM, et al. Erythrocyte folate and its response to folic acid supplementation is assay dependent in women. Journal of Nutrition, 135(1):137-43, Jan 2005.
  
  
• Block Soy Foods Screener
  This brief screening tool includes 10 food/supplement items and takes 5 minutes to complete. This screener was designed to measure intake of daidzein, genistein, coumestrol and total isoflavones. It may be used as a stand-alone survey tool or combined with a full-length food frequency questionnaire.
  
  

Food Frequency Questionnaires and Screeners for Children and Adolescents

Physical Activity Surveys and Screeners