Dietary intake measurement | Methodology

Dietary intake measurements are used to assess food or nutrient intake of individuals, groups, or populations. The purpose of collection of measurements varies from individual assessments in clinical situations (nutrition screening) or the adequacy of intake of population groups (nutrition surveillance) to use in research relating diet to health status, particularly in epidemiology. Measurements are also used to establish exposure to food-borne contaminants, in the evaluation of nutritional intervention programs, and to develop nutritional guidelines for governmental health policy.
This article describes the dietary intake measurements available, issues associated with data collection, conversion to nutrients and food types, measurement error when using dietary intake methods, validation and calibration of dietary methods, and future developments.