Standardization of the Food Composition Database Used in the Latin American Nutrition and Health Study (ELANS).

Irina Kovalskys,Berthold Koletzko,Michael Pratt,Rossina Pareja,Attilio Rigotti,Mauro Fisberg,On Group,Lilia Cortés,Katherine Tucker,Georgina Gómez,Martha Yépez,Ioná Zimberg,Marianella Herrera-Cuenca

doi:10.3390/nu7095373

Abstract

Between-country comparisons of estimated dietary intake are particularly prone to error when different food composition tables are used. The objective of this study was to describe our procedures and rationale for the selection and adaptation of available food composition to a single database to enable cross-country nutritional intake comparisons. Latin American Study of Nutrition and Health (ELANS) is a multicenter cross-sectional study of representative samples from eight Latin American countries. A standard study protocol was designed to investigate dietary intake of 9000 participants enrolled. Two 24-h recalls using the Multiple Pass Method were applied among the individuals of all countries. Data from 24-h dietary recalls were entered into the Nutrition Data System for Research (NDS-R) program after a harmonization process between countries to include local foods and appropriately adapt the NDS-R database. A food matching standardized procedure involving nutritional equivalency of local food reported by the study participants with foods available in the NDS-R database was strictly conducted by each country. Standardization of food and nutrient assessments has the potential to minimize systematic and random errors in nutrient intake estimations in the ELANS project. This study is expected to result in a unique dataset for Latin America, enabling cross-country comparisons of energy, macro- and micro-nutrient intake within this region.

Highlights

The global epidemic of obesity in all age groups and in both developed and developing countries has raised the need for large-scale multicenter studies on dietary/lifestyle factors
Among the 150 nutrients available in Nutrition Data System for Research (NDS-R), 19 were initially prioritized in the Estudio Latinoamericano de Nutrición y Salud (ELANS) based on their importance in the diet and on fact that they had the most complete information in the database (Table 1)
No study has evaluated the food and nutrient intake, as well as nutritional status and physical activity patterns of representative populations in Latin America using a standardized methodology across a consortium of several participating countries

Summary

Introduction

The global epidemic of obesity in all age groups and in both developed and developing countries has raised the need for large-scale multicenter studies on dietary/lifestyle factors. These studies are essential to substantially improve our knowledge on the complex relationship existing between energy imbalance, obesity and associated chronic diseases at large scale and wider geographical heterogeneity [1]. Food intake is a complex phenomenon and its assessment using available tools is subject to errors inherent to the instruments themselves, as well as the interviewee and the interviewer These errors, defined as systematic and random, should be known and controlled in order to generate more precise and powerful data to reveal risks associated to unhealthy dietary patterns [2]. The aim of this paper is to describe the procedures and rationale for the selection and adaptation of food composition from a single database during the ELANS study to make cross-country nutritional intake comparisons

Study Sample

Dietary Assessment

Quality

Data Consistency

Findings

Conclusions