Skip to main content
ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BHNRC) » Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center » Food Surveys Research Group » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #330453
Title: Cross-continental comparison of national food consumption survey methods--a narrative review

Author
item DE KEYZER, WILLEM - Ghent University
item BRACKE, TATIANA - Ghent University
item MCNAUGHTON, SARAH - Deakin University
item PARNELL, WINSOME - University Of Otago
item Moshfegh, Alanna
item PEREIRA, ROSANGELA - Universidade Federal Do Rio De Janeiro
item LEE, HAENG-SHIN - Korean Health Industry Development Institute
item VAN'T VEER, PIETER - Wageningen University
item DE HENAUW, STEFAAN - Ghent University
item HUYBRECHTS, INGE - International Agency For Research On Cancer

Submitted to: Nutrients
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/24/2015
Publication Date: 5/13/2015
Citation: De Keyzer, W., Bracke, T., McNaughton, S.A., Parnell, W., Moshfegh, A.J., Pereira, R.A., Lee, H., van't Veer, P., De Henauw, S., Huybrechts, I. 2015. Cross-continental comparison of national food consumption survey methods--a narrative review. Nutrients. 7:3587-3620.

Interpretive Summary: Food consumption surveys (FCS) are used to estimate intakes of foods and nutrients by a certain target population from a specified region. Usually, they are initiated by governmental organizations to (1) identify deficient or excessive intakes of nutrients, (2) assess accordance with food-based dietary guidelines, or (3) estimate food safety related risks (e.g., contaminant exposures), using national representative samples. However, in light of comparability of results cross-continentally, a thorough overview and comparison of methodological aspects associated with these surveys in each continent is provided in this cross-continental comparison of national food consumption survey methods.

Technical Abstract: Food consumption surveys are performed in many countries. Comparison of results from those surveys across nations is difficult because of differences in methodological approaches. While consensus about the preferred methodology associated with national food consumption surveys is increasing, no inventory of methodological aspects across continents is available. The aims of the present review are (1) to develop a framework of key methodological elements related to national food consumption surveys, (2) to create an inventory of these properties of surveys performed in the continents North-America, South-America, Asia and Australia, and (3) to discuss and compare these methodological properties cross-continentally. A literature search was performed using a fixed set of search terms in different databases. The inventory was completed with all accessible information from all retrieved publications and corresponding authors were requested to provide additional information where missing. Surveys from ten individual countries, originating from four continents are listed in the inventory. The results are presented according to six major aspects of food consumption surveys. The most common dietary intake assessment method used in food consumption surveys worldwide is the 24-HDR (24 h dietary recall), occasionally administered repeatedly, mostly using interview software. Only three countries have incorporated their national food consumption surveys into continuous national health and nutrition examination surveys.