Diet and Respiratory Disease

Question 1

Define nutritional epidemiology

Answer 1

Study which:

1. Examines nutrition in disease aetiology
2. Monitors population nutrition
3. Develops and evaluates interventions which help achieve and maintatin adequate nutrition in the population

Question 2

Describe the problems with recording past diet as supposed to current/recent diet

Answer 2

• Recall problems
• No method of validation

Past diet may be important. Reports that past diets correlates with current/recent diet?

Question 3

How is a comprehensive food intake collection taken and why is this preferred to restricted collection of food intake?

Answer 3

Comprehensive Collection of food intake by food composition tables

Restricted collection precludes:

• Assessment of confounding
• Assessment of previously unrecognised dietary patterns

Question 5

What other problems are implicated when collecting data on food intake using food composition tables

Answer 5

• Same foods can have different compositions (or different countries use different quantifiers)
  
  • Food prep can affect composition
• Ready meals and prepared food requires complex detail

NG: All measurements are estimates, but some are better estimates

Question 6

How can intake be compared so that the variation in intake of an individual reflects the variation in intake of the population

Answer 6

Intake can be ranked (low, medium, high)

Allows comparison without knowing exact amounts

Question 7

List some errors associated with the current methods of intake recording. (3)

Answer 7

1. Random recall error
2. Systematic error in sex/BMI (potion sizes)
3. Assessing true intake (varying portions)
   
   1. biomarkers or metabolomics more valid assessment

Question 8

What are the two broad approaches to recording intake

Answer 8

24hr recall

Frequency of specific intake over long period of time