# Design and Reproducibility of Food Propensity Questionnaire for Characterizing Intake of Pyrethroid and Organophosphate Insecticides in Adolescents

## TL;DR

A new questionnaire to assess pesticide-related food intake in adolescents was developed and found to be reliable, revealing low vegetable consumption in young boys.

## Contribution

The novel food propensity questionnaire is specifically designed to evaluate dietary exposure to pyrethroid and organophosphate insecticides in adolescents.

## Key findings

- The questionnaire showed good reproducibility with a median Cohen’s weighted kappa of 0.607.
- Young adolescent boys were found to have inadequate vegetable intake.
- Tomatoes, lettuces, and pork lard showed the best reproducibility in the questionnaire.

## Abstract

What are the main findings?
A developed food propensity questionnaire (FPQ) targeting pesticide-relevant foods in adolescents showed good overall reproducibility.Obtained results indicate inadequate vegetable intake in young adolescent boys.

A developed food propensity questionnaire (FPQ) targeting pesticide-relevant foods in adolescents showed good overall reproducibility.

Obtained results indicate inadequate vegetable intake in young adolescent boys.

What are the implications of the main findings?
The proposed design of the food propensity questionnaire should be utilized in future studies evaluating dietary exposure to pyrethroids and organophosphate insecticides among sensitive population groups.More educational initiatives should be implemented to encourage higher fruit and vegetable consumption among children from a young age.

The proposed design of the food propensity questionnaire should be utilized in future studies evaluating dietary exposure to pyrethroids and organophosphate insecticides among sensitive population groups.

More educational initiatives should be implemented to encourage higher fruit and vegetable consumption among children from a young age.

Background/Objectives: There is currently no food propensity questionnaire (FPQ) developed specifically to address pesticide intake in the adolescent population. Therefore, the objective of our study was to design a specific FPQ with emphasis on fruit and vegetable consumption and dietary exposure to pyrethroids (PYR) and organophosphate (OP) insecticides and to test its reproducibility. Methods: The FPQ was designed for the purpose of this study primarily by identifying high-risk foods according to the EFSA annual reports on pesticide residues in food. In total, 99 parents/guardians of 10–12-year-old boys completed the first FPQ during May to June 2022 and again during October 2022 to January 2023. Results: For the whole questionnaire, comprising 111 questions covering presumed major sources of pesticides in a diet, the median Cohen’s weighted kappa was 0.607 (interquartile range, IQR 0.526–0.678, total range 0.275–0.864). Furthermore, similar good overall reproducibility was noted when we focused only on the presumed food sources of PYR and OP pesticides (54 questions; median kappa 0.624, IQR 0.535–0.695, total range 0.275–0.864). Best reproducibility was noted for tomatoes (fresh, in season), lettuces (generic), and pork lard. Median estimated fruit intake for 459 adolescents based on the FPQ was 262 g/day (IQR 176–376 g/day), and vegetable intake was 123 g/day (IQR 74—190 g/day). Conclusions: Due to its good reproducibility, this FPQ, which estimates PYR and OP pesticide exposure, represents a valuable tool for future epidemiological studies and public health surveillance that focus on pesticide residue exposure in specific populations.