Italian national dietary survey on children population from three months up to nine years old – IV SCAI CHILD

Abstract

This final scientific report under the EFSA contract OC/EFSA/DATA/2014/02-LOT1-CT03 aims to describe the activities performed to design, prepare, pilot, implement the national food consumption survey on Italian children from three months up to nine years old. The report highlights the adaptation according to the EFSA “Guidance on the EU Menu methodology” on the dietary assessment method (food diary), sample selection, dietary software (Foodsoft 1.0), food description, food classification (FoodEx2 system) and data transfer. The IV SCAI – CHILD has started on 9th December 2014 when the contract between CREA and EFSA was signed. 825 parents/caregivers accepted to participate in the survey. The sample was representative of the whole national territory and four main geographical Nielsen -areas (North West, North East, Centre, South & Islands). Subjects were recruited in the 2017-2020 period, reaching the 44% response rate according to the ratio between the number of recruited and the number of contacted individuals. Infants (< 1 years old), toddlers (1-2 years old), children (3-9 years old) were the age classes covered. Τhe collection of food consumption was carried out through two food diaries and the time interval between these was at least 15 days. The whole study was embedded in a training course path divided in different phases. Each phase of the course path led to select fieldworkers that attended the final on-the-job course within which data were collected. The adopted approach allowed for training and standardizing on a continuous basis the personnel and selecting a representative group of medical doctors, nutritionists, and dietitians covering the whole territory.