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Objective: To establish a method for food consumption data collection in ethnic groups in the Netherlands., Methods: Two pilot studies have been carried out, one among Moroccan women and one among Surinam men. First, focus group discussions were held to obtain background information from members of the target population. For food consumption assessment 2 X 24-h recall was chosen. Furthermore, background information on age, place of birth, frequency of visits to Morocco or Surinam, Dutch language skills, meal pattern, food purchases and antropometric measurements were taken., Results: It was found that the diets of both Moroccan women and Surinam men tended to approach the recommended daily intake of macronutrients more than the average intake of a Dutch person. However, reported energy and micronutrient intake on the second day of the dietary recall was lower than on the first recall day., Conclusion: The 24-h recall is a suitable method for food consumption measurements among Moroccan and Surinam people. On the other hand, the interviewer must be aware of potential under-reporting, especially during the second recall.

Objective: this paper aims to give a broad overview of published data on nutrition and health among migrants in the Netherlands, as well as data on determinants of health., Results and Conclusions: Depending on the definition, 9 to 17% of the population belongs to the group 'migrants' and this proportion is expected to grow in the coming years. Roughly 2/3 of migrants are of the first generation and on average, they are younger than the Dutch population. Relatively few data concerning the health status of migrants are available. The diet of migrants showed both positive (macronutrients) and negative (micronutrients) differences with the general Dutch diet. The risk of overweight was high among both children and adult women, and the data suggest a higher risk for Turkish and Moroccan groups than for Dutch groups. The importance of health determinants, such as smoking, alcohol use and physical and social environment, was different for migrants than for the Dutch population; however, there were also differences between ethnic groups. The limited data on morbidity for migrants suggest higher risks than for the indigenous population. The same holds for mortality data, especially for the younger age groups. In general, the data that are available suggest that the health status of migrants was less favourable than that of the indigenous population. However, there were also differences between the various groups of migrants. The lower socio-economic position of migrant groups partly explained the differences in health status. Nevertheless, a study among Turkish people indicated that their health status was lower than that of Dutch people of comparable socioeconomic status.

At the end of the winter circulating concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) in Asian and Mediterranean immigrants in northwestern European countries are usually very low. This may lead to vitamin D deficiency and eventually to rickets. Children are more prone to develop vitamin D deficiency. The vitamin D status of 8-year-old Turkish, Moroccan and Caucasian children was assessed by measuring plasma concentrations of 25-OHD and parathyroid hormone (PTH) and related to the cumulated global sun radiation (CGSR). The study population was selected from school children in The Hague and Rotterdam (The Netherlands). In each city blood samples were examined from 40 migrant children and a Caucasian reference group (n = 40) (matched for age and sex). Children in The Hague were examined at the end of the winter and early spring (February/April) and those in Rotterdam in late spring and early summer (May/June). Mean plasma 25-OHD concentrations for the migrant children in both cities were significantly lower than for the Caucasian reference group. The lowest 25-OHD values were measured in migrant children in The Hague: 42 per cent of the Turkish and 23 per cent of the Moroccan children had plasma levels less than 20 nmol/l. In these groups hyperparathyroidism (PTH greater than 85 pmol/l) was significantly more prevalent. With all pooled data a significant correlation between plasma 25-OHD and PTH was observed (r = -0.24; P less than 0.001). Regression analysis indicated that the relationship between both variables did not differ among the three ethnic groups. As expected, 25-OHD concentrations were higher for increased CGSR. Differences in 25-OHD level are mainly explained by differences in skin pigmentation and calcium intake between Mediterranean and Caucasian children. The secondary hyperparathyroidism observed in some children confirms that migrant children have a higher risk of developing nutritional rickets when living in areas with a moderate climate.