Children's Dietary Questionnaire
Also known as: CDQ, Children's Diet Questionnaire
The Children's Dietary Questionnaire (CDQ) is a parent-proxy or child self-report food frequency questionnaire designed to assess usual dietary intake in children and adolescents aged 6–18 years. Developed by Rockett and colleagues at Harvard School of Public Health in the 1990s, it captures consumption of 60–120 common foods and beverages with frequency and portion size information. The CDQ enables estimation of daily energy, macronutrient, and micronutrient intakes and characterization of dietary patterns (e.g., prudent vs. Western diet).
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When to use it
The CDQ is appropriate for studies of dietary intake and dietary pattern associations with health outcomes in children aged 6–18 years. Use in cross-sectional surveys, cohort studies, and intervention evaluations when detailed nutrient intake or dietary patterns need to be characterized. Suitable for large samples where 24-hour recalls or food records are impractical. Parent-proxy version (ages 6–12) and self-report version (ages 9–18) can be used depending on child age and literacy. Recommended for studying diet–obesity, diet–metabolic risk, and diet–bone health relationships.
Strengths & limitations
- Captures usual dietary intake over weeks to months; less variable than 24-hour recalls; more practical than food records.
- Validated in multiple pediatric populations; demonstrates good reproducibility and correlations with biomarkers (plasma vitamins, carotenoids).
- Enables nutrient and dietary pattern analysis; differentiates prudent from Western dietary patterns.
- Manageable respondent burden; 20–30 minutes acceptable for parent or self-report.
- Standardized scoring and nutrient database facilitate comparison across studies.
- Suitable for large epidemiological studies; cost-effective alternative to interview-based 24-hour recall.
- Food frequency questionnaires capture broad patterns but lose day-to-day dietary variability; cannot measure acute intakes or specific meal occasions.
- Portion size estimation is often imprecise; many respondents report 'medium' or 'average' portion for most foods.
- Relies on parental knowledge of child intake, especially for younger children; parents may not be aware of foods eaten away from home (school meals, friends' homes).
- Does not capture newly introduced or ethnic/regional foods if not explicitly listed on form.
- Nutrient estimates depend on food composition database; inaccuracy in database or preparation methods affects estimates.
- Subject to recall bias and social desirability bias; parents/children may over-report healthy foods and under-report unhealthy foods.
Frequently asked
Can the CDQ be used for children under age 6, and how does parent accuracy change with child age?
The CDQ is primarily validated for ages 6–18 years. For children under 6, accuracy of parent-proxy reporting declines because caregivers may not be present for all meals (e.g., school, childcare) and younger children's rapidly changing diet is harder for parents to summarize. For children 6–12 years, parent report is standard; for children 9–18 years, child self-report improves accuracy if literacy is adequate. For preschool-age children (<6 years), 24-hour recalls or direct observation may be more accurate than FFQs.
How do I handle portion size when respondents report 'medium' for most foods?
Many respondents default to 'medium' without carefully considering portions. Supplement questionnaire with visual aids: photographs of common portion sizes, food models, or household measures (cups, spoons). During data entry, consider using standardized portion weights from the USDA Food Database rather than asking respondents to estimate small/medium/large; this reduces but does not eliminate portion size error.
Should I include foods the child ate only occasionally or once in the past year?
The CDQ asks about usual frequency over the preceding months. Include foods consumed regularly (at least monthly). Exclude or score as 'never' foods eaten only on special occasions (birthday cake, holiday sweets) unless they are eaten monthly or more. The goal is to capture diet composition and usual pattern, not rare or ceremonial foods.
How does the CDQ compare to 24-hour recall for estimating nutrient intake?
Food frequency questionnaires like the CDQ rank individuals and groups by intake and characterize dietary patterns well, but provide less precise absolute nutrient estimates than 24-hour recalls (especially for micronutrients with high day-to-day variability). If the study goal is ranking by intake or dietary pattern characterization, FFQ is appropriate. If precise nutrient quantification is needed (e.g., iron supplementation trials), use 24-hour recalls or direct food records.
Sources
- Blum, R. E., Wei, E. K., Rockett, H. R., et al. (1999). Validation of a food frequency questionnaire in Native American and Caucasian children aged 9–18 years. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 3(3), 167–172. DOI: 10.1023/a:1022350023163 ↗
- Rockett, H. R., Wolf, A. M., & Colditz, G. A. (1995). Development and reproducibility of a food frequency questionnaire to assess diets of older children and adolescents. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 95(3), 336–340. DOI: 10.1016/S0002-8223(95)00086-0 ↗
How to cite this page
ScholarGate. (2026, June 3). Children's Dietary Questionnaire. ScholarGate. https://scholargate.app/en/public-health-nutrition/child-diet-questionnaire
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