Comparison of self-report of reduced fat and salt foods with sales and supply data

Objective: Examine the validity of self-reported use of reduced fat and reduced salt foods. Design: Compare data collected in a food frequency questionnaire with supermarket sales data and food supply data. Setting: Rural Australia. Subjects: Four hundred and fifty-three respondents from an original sample of 1616 randomly-selected residents. Interventions: Community health campaign to reduce cardiovascular disease. Results: Reported use of reduced fat and reduced salt foods was greater than store sales and milk deliveries of these products. Conclusions: External data did not support the validity of self-reported use of these products. Sponsorships: National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, Epidemiology and Health Information Branch of Queensland Health Department.