Dietary assessment
-relationship between diet and risk of chronic diseases → dietary assessment should be done frequently and randomly
-food intake consumption can be measured at the population, group or individual level
- Population level: food balance sheets are constructed by FAO (Food Agriculture Organization) from national accounts of the supply and use of foods → aggregate data are based on surveys of groups
- Individual level: include dietary records, questionnaire methods and interviews
→ method of choice is guided by the purpose of the monitoring
-two groups of methods used: household methods and individual methods
Household methods
→ useful for comparing food availability among different communities, geographic areas and socioeconomic groups; DON'T provide information on the distribution of foods among the individual members of the household
-food account method: detailed record of the quantities of food entering the house (purchases, home-produced food, gifts..etc.); NO account of stock before and after the study; DOES NOT include food consumed outside home
-inventory method: similar to food account method; but food inventory (stock) before and after the study
-household record/recall: foods are weighed or estimated in household measures