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Biochemical Measures Used for Nutritional Assessment 55
Case Study ●● Blood levels of certain nutrients indicate an
adequate or inadequate intake (e.g. plasma levels
The food diary record method was used in of vitamin C, beta-carotene, folate and vitamin D).
the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and
Children (ALSPAC). The data collected has Activity 2
been used in many scientific publications Ask the parents of a child to fill in a three-day
relating health outcomes to dietary intakes recorded intake and then analyse it in terms of
in children. Three-day diet records were the five food groups.
recorded by parents of a cohort of over
14 000 children, all born in the early 1990s References and further reading
in Avon. A diet record booklet was sent to
the parents just prior to them making a Cowin I and Emmett P (2007) Diet in a group of
clinic visit to have their child weighed and 18-month-old children in South West England,
measured at various ages from 4 months to and comparison with the results of a national
18 years. The parents were asked to survey. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics
describe everything their child was offered 20: 254–267.
in household measures and to record
leftover foods/drinks. Department of Health (2011) National Diet and
Nutrition Survey: Headline results from Years 1 and 2
The diary was checked through in an (combined) of the rolling programme 2008/9–2009/10.
interview with the parents by a nutrition www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/
fieldworker to improve accuracy. The Publications/PublicationsStatistics/DH_128166
fieldworker allocated food weights according (accessed April 2012).
to the parental description of the portion
size using guideline measures for the various Emmett P, Rogers I, Symes C and the ALSPAC Study
foods. For manufactured foods, parents Team (2002) Food and nutrient intakes of a
provided packet weights when available. The population sample of 3-year-old children in the
full details of the methods used and the South West of England in 1996. Public Health
nutrient and food intakes of the children are Nutrition 5: 55–64.
described in various papers (Emmett et al.
2002, Cowin and Emmett 2007). Gregory JR, Collins DL, Davies PSW, Hughes JM and
Clarke PC (1995) National Diet and Nutrition
Biochemical Measures Used for Survey: Children aged 1½ and 4½ years, Volume 1.
Nutritional Assessment Report of the Diet and Nutrition Survey. London:
HMSO.
Nutrient intake can be measured using biomarkers.
Gregory J, Lowe S, Bates CJ, et al. (2000) National Diet
●● Doubly-labelled water is used to measure energy and Nutrition Survey: Young people aged 4–18
expenditure which can be used to validate years. London: The Stationery Office.
energy intake from a recorded food diary.
Resources
●● A 24-hour urine collection can be measured for
sodium, potassium and nitrogen content. Total Software packages available in the UK for dietary
nitrogen is a measure of protein intake. analysis:
CompEat – Dietary Analysis Software (www.
compeat.co.uk)
Dietplan6 (www.foresoft.co.uk)
