Eating habits survey

Eating habits survey

Eating habits survey

Sir John Krebbs recently announced that the eating habits of 2,000 adults, aged between 19 and 64, throughout the UK, are to be studied. What, when and how much they eat as well as the amount of time they spend watching TV will be among the questions asked in the fourth National Diet and Nutrition Survey commissioned jointly by the Food Standards Agency and the Department of Health. Information on dietary habits, nutritional status and the amount of physical activity will be collected from a randomly selected representative sample of adults. They will be asked to keep a detailed record of everything they eat and drink for seven days, both at home and elsewhere, using specially designed diaries. Trained interviewers will visit the people in their homes to help them complete the diaries. The information obtained will allow the intake of more than 50 nutrients to be calculated, including fat and fatty acids, sugar, fibre, vitamins and minerals. The participants will be measured for height, weight and blood pressure and will provide a blood sample to assess their nutritional status. The amount of physical activity, including activities such as games and sports as well as sedentary activities such as watching TV and surfing the Internet will be mesaured. The findings of the survey will be available in 2003.