Introduction to Human Nutrition

Measuring Food Intake 259

Detailed reviews of the design and evaluation of
food frequency methods for use in epidemiological
studies are given by Willett (1998) and Cade et al.
(2002).

Diet history
The principal objective of the diet history is to obtain
detailed information on the habitual intake of an
individual. As fi rst proposed by Burke in the 1940s,
the method had several components (Burke 1947):

● an interview to obtain usual diet

● a cross-check of this information by food group

● a 3 day record of food consumed in household

measures.

The 3 day record component is now seldom used as

a regular component of a diet history. Its purpose

originally was as a way of checking the data obtained

from the diet history interview. A diet history is usually

obtained by an experienced nutritionist by means of

an open interview followed by some kind of cross-

Table 10.3 Extract from a food frequency questionnaire using open ended response options (MacIntyre, 1998)

Offi ce use only

Food Description Amount Times eaten Code Amount/day

Per day Per week Per month Seldom

Maize meal porridge Stiff porridge 4256

Soft porridge 4255

Sour porridge 9999

Do you pour milk on your porridge? YES NO

If NO, go to next question on sugar.

If YES, what type of milk: fresh, sour, milk powder (Nespray), skim milk powder (name)?

If yes, how much milk?

Do you pour sugar on your porridge/cereal? YES NO

If no, go to ‘samp’

If yes, how much sugar? 9012

Samp (only) 4043

Samp and beans A014

Tshidzimba (samp, beans, and

peanuts)

9816

Rice 4040

Macaroni/spaghetti A018

Bread

White bread 4001

Brown bread 4002

Fat cakes 4057

Other types of bread

Do you spread anything on the bread? YES NO

If no, go to next section (chicken, meat, fi sh)

IF YES, What do you spread and how much?

Margarine Hard

Soft

6508

6521

Peanut butter 6509

Other types of spread