The validity of household budget survey (HBS) data: estimation of individual food availability in an epidemiological context

Abstract

Household budget surveys (HBS) are conducted in most European countries and they represent a unique source of dietary data. However, the information on food availability is at the family level, which limits the investigation of the dietary habits of individuals. The key stages required to establish the validity of HBS data at the household and individual level are reviewed. Using examples from British data, the paper identifies some of the limitations and valid applications of HBS data. A statistical method is proposed to estimate the food availability of household members of different types, for example different age groups, based on the family composition. The validity of the method is presented by using British data from the National Food Survey and the National Diet and Nutrition Survey.