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The aim of the present paper is to summarise current and future applications of dietary assessment technologies in nutrition surveys in developed countries. It includes the discussion of key points and highlights of subsequent developments from a panel discussion to address strengths and weaknesses of traditional dietary assessment methods (food records, FFQ, 24 h recalls, diet history with interviewer-assisted data collection) v. new technology-based dietary assessment methods (web-based and mobile device applications). The panel discussion ‘Traditional methods v. new technologies: dilemmas for dietary assessment in population surveys’, was held at the 9th International Conference on Diet and Activity Methods (ICDAM9), Brisbane, September 2015. Despite respondent and researcher burden, traditional methods have been most commonly used in nutrition surveys. However, dietary assessment technologies offer potential advantages including faster data processing and better data quality. This is a fast-moving field and there is evidence of increasing demand for the use of new technologies amongst the general public and researchers. There is a need for research and investment to support efforts being made to facilitate the inclusion of new technologies for rapid, accurate and representative data.

A review of the literature concerning the design, utilisation and validation of food-frequency questionnaires (FFQ) has been carried out using a semi-systematic approach to obtaining, reviewing and extracting data from articles. Databases were searched from 1980 to 1999. The present review identified 227 validation (from 1980 to September 1999) and 164 utilisation (for 1998 only) studies. A number of design issues have been evaluated through the present review. These include: the need to consider how portion sizes have been described, self-defined giving higher mean correlations; how an FFQ was administered, interviewer-administered giving higher mean correlations for some nutrients; how many items to include on an FFQ, those with the largest number of items having higher correlations. Validation techniques were described. Most validation studies involved comparing an FFQ against another dietary assessment method; only 19 % compared an FFQ to a biomarker. Measurement differences were most commonly assessed by correlation coefficients as opposed to other more appropriate methods. Mean correlation coefficients were highest for Ca and fat, and lowest for vitamin A and vegetables. The utilisation studies showed that FFQ were most commonly used in cross-sectional surveys, with ninety-three of the FFQ being designed to be disease-specific. The present review results were presented to a group of experts and a consensus arrived at concerning the development, validation and use of FFQ. Recommendations derived from the consensus arising from the literature review are presented as an appendix to the present paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antioxidants may protect against the development of esophageal adenocarcinoma. Blood samples and endoscopic biopsies (squamous, Barrett's, and gastric mucosa) were obtained from 48 Barrett's esophagus (BE) patients, while 48 age- and sex-matched controls provided blood samples only. Plasma concentrations of vitamins A, C, and E were measured in all subjects, while vitamin C was measured in relation to the type of mucosa. Plasma total vitamin C level, but not vitamin A or E, was lower in BE patients compared to controls (P=0.014). Tissue levels of total vitamin C were significantly lower in Barrett's compared with squamous mucosa (P=0.047). A positive association was observed between plasma vitamin C and dietary intake of vitamin C, while there was an inverse association with alcohol consumption. The lower levels of vitamin C in plasma of BE patients and in Barrett's mucosa compared with squamous mucosa are consistent with oxidative stress being of importance in the pathogenesis and neoplastic progression of BE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dietary adequacy is hard to achieve for many people living in low-income countries, who suffer from nutritional deficiencies. Climate change, which alters weather conditions, has combined with other cascading and compound events to disrupt Indigenous communities’ food systems, limiting the consumption of adequate diets. The aim of this work was to conduct a proof-of-concept study exploring dietary adequacy, and to investigate evidence for temporal variation in the dietary intake of Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities in Kanungu District, Uganda in the context of the Covid-19 outbreak. We randomly selected 60 participants (20 mothers, 20 fathers and 20 children aged between 6 and 23 months) from two Indigenous Batwa and two Bakiga settlements. A mixed-methods study with concurrent qualitative and quantitative data collection was conducted. Monthly dietary intake data were collected from each participant from February to July 2021 through 24 h recall surveys using a specially developed Ugandan food composition database included in the online tool myfood24. At the same time, we also collected: (i) demographic and contextual data related to Covid-19; (ii) data on weather and seasonality; (iii) data on the perception of dietary intake over the year, and during the Covid-19 period; (iv) baseline anthropometric measurements. The majority of the participants did not achieve nutrient adequacy over the 6 months period, and household dietary diversity scores were generally low. Pregnant and lactating women consumed a diet which was severely inadequate in terms of nutrient consumption. Caloric and nutrient intake varied over the 6 months period, with the highest food consumption in June and lowest in April. Temporal variation was more evident among Batwa participants. Vitamin A intake varied more over months than other nutrients in adults’ and children’s diets, and none met iodine requirements. Participants characterised the diverse mechanisms by which season and weather variability determined the type and amount of food consumed each month. Dietary intake showed indications of temporal variation that differed between nutrients. Also, they reported that the Covid-19 pandemic influenced their diet. During lockdown, 58% of adults reported changing dietary habits by consuming less—and less nutritious—foods. The findings of this work highlight that the majority of the Batwa and Bakiga participants did not meet the dietary requirements for their age and gender. Also, our research indicates that weather patterns and seasonality may cause variations in smallholder food production with consequences on households’ dietary intake. Emerging evidence suggests that nutrients and caloric intake vary monthly and under different weather conditions. Accurate and time-varying nutrition evaluations would help in identifying seasonal and monthly dietary needs, supporting preventive interventions protecting children and their parents from any form of malnutrition. Consideration of time-varying nutritional intake will become increasingly important as climate change affects the seasonality and availability of smallholder subsistence crops.

BACKGROUND:Malnutrition linked to noncommunicable diseases presents major health problems across Europe. The World Health Organisation encourages countries to conduct national dietary surveys to obtain data to inform public health policies designed to prevent noncommunicable diseases. METHODS:Data on 27334 participants aged 19-64y were harmonised and pooled across national dietary survey datasets from 12 countries across the WHO European Region. Weighted mean nutrient intakes were age-standardised using the Eurostat 2013 European Standard Population. Associations between country-level Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and key nutrients and nutrient densities were investigated using linear regression. The potential mitigating influence of participant-level educational status was explored. FINDINGS:Higher GDP was positively associated with total sugar intake (5·0% energy for each 10% increase in GDP, 95% CI 0·6, 9·3). Scandinavian countries had the highest vitamin D intakes. Participants with higher educational status had better nutritional intakes, particularly within lower GDP countries. A 10% higher GDP was associated with lower total fat intakes (-0·2% energy, 95% CI -0·3, -0·1) and higher daily total folate intakes (14μg, 95% CI 12, 16) in higher educated individuals. INTERPRETATION:Lower income countries and lower education groups had poorer diet, particularly for micronutrients. We demonstrate for the first time that higher educational status appeared to have a mitigating effect on poorer diet in lower income countries. It illustrates the feasibility and value of harmonising national dietary survey data to inform European policy regarding access to healthy diets, particularly in disadvantaged groups. It specifically highlights the need for strong policies supporting nutritional intakes, prioritising lower education groups and lower income countries.