Improvement of comparability of dietary intake assessment using currently available individual food consumption surveys (original) (raw)
Related papers
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2002
Objective: To harmonize food classification and food composition databases, allowing comparability of consumption at both food and nutrient levels in Europe. Design: To establish the level of comparability at the food level, the EFCOSUM group benefited from the work already carried out within other European projects, which established a Euro Food Groups (EFG) classification system. Four food groups, ie bread, vegetables (excluding potatoes), fruits (excluding fruit juice) and fish and seafood, were judged on their applicability for making food consumption data comparable across countries at the food level. Conclusions: It was concluded that the EFG system could be used but that still much work has to be done. For food consumption data to be collected in the future, the software that will be used should enable conversion of foods 'as consumed' to foods at the 'raw edible' level. With respect to comparability of nutrient intake estimations, EFCOSUM advises waiting for the European Nutrient Composition Database (ENDB) currently being prepared by the EPIC group. Until this is available, comparison of consumption data at the nutrient level cannot be carried out between countries.
Rationale and methods of the European Food Consumption Validation (EFCOVAL) Project
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2011
Background/Objectives: The overall objective of the European Food Consumption Validation (EFCOVAL) Project was to further develop and validate a trans-European food consumption method to be used for the evaluation of the intake of foods, nutrients and potentially hazardous chemicals within the European population. Subjects/Methods: The EFCOVAL Project was carried out by 13 institutes from 11 European countries. The main activities were centered on the three main objectives of the project organized in different sub-projects. Results: In EFCOVAL, EPIC-Soft (the software developed to conduct 24-h dietary recalls (24-HDRs) in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Study) was reprogrammed and adapted according to prioritized specifications, resulting in a software program working under the Windows operating system. In parallel of the EPIC-Soft development, the repeated 24-HDR method using EPIC-Soft and a food propensity questionnaire was evaluated against biomarkers in 24-h urine collections and in blood samples among adults from Belgium, the Czech Republic, (the South of) France, the Netherlands and Norway. As a result from an expert workshop on a proposed dietary assessment method for children (4-12 years), the suggested method was tested in a feasibility study in Denmark and Spain among children of 4-5, 7-8 and 12-13 years. To ensure that collected data had sufficient detail in food description for the assessment of additives and contaminants to foods the EPIC-Soft databases were adapted. Finally, the EFCOVAL Consortium developed a statistical tool (Multiple Source Method) for estimating the usual intake and distribution, which has been tested using real food consumption data and compared with three other statistical methods through a simulation study. In addition, a methodology was developed to quantify uncertainty due to portion-size estimation in usual intake distributions. Conclusion: The findings of EFCOVAL provide sufficient evidence to conclude that the repeated 24-HDR using EPIC-Soft for standardization in combination with a food propensity questionnaire and modeling of usual intake is a suitable method for pan-European surveillance of nutritional adequacy and food safety among healthy adults and maybe in children aged 7 years and older.
The European Food Consumption Validation Project: conclusions and recommendations
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2011
Background/Objectives: To outline and discuss the main results and conclusions of the European Food Consumption Validation (EFCOVAL) Project. Subjects/Methods: The EFCOVAL Project was carried out within the EU Sixth Framework Program by researchers in 11 EU countries. The activities focused on (1) the further development of the EPIC-Soft software (the software developed to conduct 24-h dietary recalls (24-HDRs) in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Study) and the validation of the 2-day non-consecutive 24-HDR method using EPIC-Soft, (2) defining and investigating the applicability of the most appropriate dietary assessment method to younger age groups and expanding the applicability of the software for use in exposure assessment of some potentially hazardous chemicals and (3) to improve the methodology and statistical methods that estimate usual intake distributions from short-term dietary intake information and develop a methodology to quantify uncertainty in usual intake distributions. Results: The preexisting EPIC-Soft application was reprogrammed into a Windows environment and more than 60 new specifications were implemented in the software. A validation study showed that two non-consecutive EPIC-Soft 24-HDRs are suitable to estimate the usual intake distributions of protein and potassium of European adult populations. The 2-day nonconsecutive 24-HDRs in combination with a food propensity questionnaire also appeared to be appropriate to rank individuals according to their fish and fruit and vegetable intake in a comparable way in five European centers. Dietary intake of (young) children can be assessed by the combination of EPIC-Soft 24-HDRs and food recording booklets. The EPIC-Soft-standardized method of describing foods is useful to estimate dietary exposure to potentially hazardous chemicals such as specific flavoring substances. With the developed Multiple Source Method, repeated non-consecutive 24-HDR data in combination with food propensity data can be used to estimate the population distribution of the usual intake by estimating the individual usual intakes. Conclusions: The findings provide sufficient evidence to conclude that the repeated 24-HDR using EPIC-Soft for standardization in combination with a food propensity questionnaire and modeling of usual intake is a suitable method for pan-European surveillance of nutritional adequacy and food safety among healthy adults and maybe in children aged 7 years and older. To facilitate this methodology in other European countries, the next step is to provide and standardize an implementation plan that accounts for maintenance and updates, sampling designs, national surveillance programs, tailored capacity building and training, and linkage to food composition and occurrence databases.
Protocol for defining the nutritional adequacy of total diets and foods consumed in EU countries
2016
This research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 633692 (SUSFANS). Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on behalf of the Commission is responsible for how the following information is used. The views expressed in this publication are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission. Reproduction and translation for non-commercial purposes are authorised, provided the source is acknowledged and the publisher is given prior notice and sent a copy.
Development of harmonised food and sample lists for total diet studies in five European countries
Food additives & contaminants. Part A, Chemistry, analysis, control, exposure & risk assessment, 2016
A total diet study (TDS) is a public health tool for determination of population dietary exposure to chemicals across the entire diet. TDSs have been performed in several countries but the comparability of data produced is limited. Harmonisation of the TDS methodology is therefore desirable and the development of comparable TDS food lists is considered essential to achieve the consistency between countries. The aim of this study is to develop and test the feasibility of a method for establishing harmonised TDS food and sample lists in five European countries with different consumption patterns (Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Iceland and Portugal). The food lists were intended to be applicable for exposure assessment of wide range of chemical substances in adults (18-64 years) and the elderly (65-74 years). Food consumption data from recent dietary surveys measured on individuals served as the basis for this work. Since the national data from these five countries were not comparab...
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2002
Background: The EFCOSUM (European Food Consumption Survey Methods) Project aims at harmonizing food consumption surveys in European countries within the perspective of an overall Public Health Monitoring Programme. Harmonization implies the need for a common framework of procedures and tools, that are applicable and feasible in all potentially interested countries. A major element in such a framework is the protocol for the operationalization of a food consumption survey, referring to all practical, logistical and material conditions that need to be fulfilled in order to guarantee a successful implementation of such a survey. Objective: The objective of this paper was to review a number of aspects of operationalization of food consumption surveys in detail. On the basis of the currently available knowledge and experience in Europe, consensus recommendations have been elaborated for an operationalization protocol that would be feasible for all European countries. Methods: The EFCOSUM recommendations with respect to operationalization of food consumption surveys in Europe are mainly based on three sources of information, which have been discussed at several ad hoc expert meetings: experience from previous collaborative epidemiological studies, literature searches and results of two questionnaires, distributed among representatives from 23 European countries-all experts affiliated with experienced organizations in the fields of nutrition research and related fields. Results: Consensus recommendations have been set up for the following topics: sampling, recruitment, fieldwork, biomarkers, interviewer qualifications and training and quality control. These recommendations have to be considered the best achievable common denominator within Europe at this time. In a number of cases, recommendations are presented in a hierarchical way, with a gradation from first choice options towards acceptable alternatives. Conclusions: It can be concluded that a high degree of standardization of fieldwork can be achieved within Europe. A number of specific problems and constraints will have to be solved in connection with the conduction of a real survey. These problems include, amongst others, country-specific decisions on, for example, target population, detailed sampling and recruiting procedures, interview setting and support. However, on the whole, these problems can be overcome and the main recommendations presented in this paper are considered feasible for every country in Europe. Application of the EFCOSUM operationalization protocol in European countries will contribute significantly to the quality and comparability of food consumption data across Europe. It is anticipated that the policy supporting and orienting potential of this type of databases-both at the national and at the EU supranational level-will be increased accordingly.
Short overview of food consumption databases
Czech Journal of Food Sciences
The utilisation of food consumption databases is widespread and involves for example, the risk assessment, understanding of consumers’ food consumption trends, health education, and planning of prevention projects. Harmonisation of national consumption data for international comparison is an important and challenging work. First attempts started in the 70’s and have been continuing up to now. The present study gives an overview of the collection methods, types and utilisation of food consumption data, as well of the most important phases of the international harmonisation work. As this study shows, it is crucial to harmonise the surveys parameters like the time of the data collection, method, number of participants, and number of the analysed days for an internationally comparable consumption database. From this point of view, the efforts of the EU menu project are promising.
Food composition database development for between country comparisons
Nutrition Journal, 2006
Nutritional assessment by diet analysis is a two-stepped process consisting of evaluation of food consumption, and conversion of food into nutrient intake by using a food composition database, which lists the mean nutritional values for a given food portion. Most reports in the literature focus on minimizing errors in estimation of food consumption but the selection of a specific food composition table used in nutrient estimation is also a source of errors. We are conducting a large prospective study internationally and need to compare diet, assessed by food frequency questionnaires, in a comparable manner between different countries. We have prepared a multicountry food composition database for nutrient estimation in all the countries participating in our study. The nutrient database is primarily based on the USDA food composition database, modified appropriately with reference to local food composition tables, and supplemented with recipes of locally eaten mixed dishes. By doing so we have ensured that the units of measurement, method of selection of foods for testing, and assays used for nutrient estimation are consistent and as current as possible, and yet have taken into account some local variations. Using this common metric for nutrient assessment will reduce differential errors in nutrient estimation and improve the validity of between-country comparisons.