The ethnic specific SHARE Food Frequency Questionnaires (FFQs) address a critical and persistent gap in nutrition research: the lack of valid, culturally appropriate dietary assessment tools for diverse populations. South Asian and Chinese populations represent two of the largest non-White ethnic groups in North America and experience a disproportionate burden of cardiometabolic disease. Despite this, dietary assessment in these groups has historically relied on tools developed for White European populations, leading to systematic misclassification of intake and attenuation of diet–disease associations. The SHARE FFQs provide a uniquely comprehensive analytic framework, generating detailed estimates of macronutrients, micronutrients, glycemic index, total energy intake, NOVA food-processing classification, and individual food items. This depth enables rigorous investigation of dietary patterns, food quality, and metabolic risk across populations.

Applications

These tools are directly applicable across epidemiologic studies, clinical trials, and individualized nutritional assessment, including emerging personalized health and precision nutrition applications.

Advantages

Collectively, the SHARE FFQs offer an innovative, scalable, and culturally valid solution with high potential impact for academic research and responsible private-sector applications.

The questionnaires are available for individuals of White European origin, South Asians, and Chinese people, and are harmonized with the Canadian Nutrient File, including recent updates on added sugars. This ensures contemporaneity, cross-population comparability, and relevance to current food environments.