Abstract
Objective: To present the results of the statistical working group of the EFCOSUM project on estimating the minimum sample size for a pan-European dietary survey.
Background and methods: Numerous statistical issues are involved when planning a nutritional survey aimed at evaluating various indicators, especially if it will be carried out in different countries. The plenary workshop of the EFCOSUM project has chosen four relevant statistical topics: the sample size estimation for dietary surveys, the number of repeated measurements needed to estimate usual intake for each individual; the statistical presentation of data; and the statistical procedures for estimating the usual intake distribution from a limited number of days of observation. This article deals with the first three topics mentioned. The participants of the EFCOSUM project answered a small questionnaire in order to get agreement on the method of estimating a minimum sample size in the context of a monitoring of dietary indicators. Data on the variability of dietary indicators of interest was also collected, in order to calculate a minimum sample size.
Results and conclusion: The main result was that a minimum sample size of 2000 adults in each European country will be needed in order to identify trends in the mean intake of the most relevant foods and nutrients in Europe. This sample size should be higher if trends have to be indentified for socio-demographic subgroups.
Sponsorship: European Commission, DG SANCO F/3, Health Monitoring Programme.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $21.58 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Consortia
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Volatier, J., Turrini, A., Welten, D. et al. Some statistical aspects of food intake assessment. Eur J Clin Nutr 56 (Suppl 2), S46–S52 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601428
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601428