Assessing Diet and Nutritional Intake of Rural Children in Zambia Using a Food Frequency Questionnaire.

In this survey, to assess the energy and nutrient intake of rural children in Zambia, a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was developed using the direct weighing method for 126 children, and then a dietary survey with 153 children was conducted using the FFQ. The dietary survey revealed that rural children in Zambia are deficient in energy intake compared to international standards. However, the protein intake met the recommended level; most of it came from vegetables. The carbohydrate intake rate was high, while the fat intake rate was relatively low because of a diet that was highly dependent on maize.