Title: Making the best use of new technologies in the National Diet and Nutrition Survey: A Review
Funder: Department of Health (England)

Abstract: Background: There is considerable interest in the application of new or innovative technologies to collect dietary data in large population-based surveys. However, this is a fast-moving field and there is a need for an evaluation of existing and newly developed technologies with regard to cost and relative validity against more traditional assessment approaches. Aims: To provide the Department of Health with the information they need to make decisions about the incorporation of new and emerging technologies within the National Diet and Nutrution Survey Rolling Programme. To create an itinerary of new and emerging technologies for dietary assessment and to provide a critical appraisal of these technologies through review of the scientific literature and qualitative work, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses in relation to information gathered on acceptability, feasibility, cost, resource constraints, relative validity This will be achieved by undertaking a review of the published and unpublished scientific literature, combined with contacting experts in the field. This will ensure that the evidence provided is the most up to date that it can be and will optimise capture of existing new technologies and also those still in development. Research plan: We propose an 8 month project, commencing in January 2014. Create protocol - technologies for inclusion, search strategy Update data extraction software to fit requirements of the review Create validation study quality checklist Run searches, apply inclusion/exclusion criteria, extract data to MS-access database Export extracted data to report tables Undertake telephone interviews and focus groups of NDNS participants and non-participants for opinion on new technologies Prepare narrative review for draft report Report approval by Department of Health Research team: The following individuals from the University of Leeds, will form the research team: dr Victoria Burley (VB), Professor Janet Cade (JC), dr Darren Greenwood (DC), Professor Claire Hulme (CH), a full time postdoctoral research assistant (PdrA to be named) with clerical and technical IT support from Neil Hancock (NH) and Claire McGloughlin. This team has experience and expertise in nutrition (VB, JC, PdrA), survey methods (JC, VB, DC, NH), evidence synthesis (VB, DC, JC, CH), statistics (DC), health economics (CH), and social research (CH). The team will further benefit from the advice and steering provided by external experts on the steering panel who will contribute specific knowledge of the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (Alison Lennox currently of Human Nutrition Research, Cambridge), survey methodology (Bob Erens of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine). Qualitative research will be undertaken through a sub contract to MRC Human Nutrition Research (HNR), University of Cambridge (lead Toni Steer) who will work with NatCen Social Research (lead Sam Clemens). This work will include telephone interviews with current NDNS participants and focus groups with non-NDNS participants to ascertain their views on existing and future new technologies (identified in the literature review). Potential impact: This review will provide the Department of Health with the evidence they need to form an opinion of the new and emerging technologies in terms of their potential to improve and/or make more cost effective, dietary data collection in the NDNS RP.


Research activity codes: 2.5 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGIES (AETIOLOGY)
Health categories: STROKE;CANCER AND NEOPLASMS;METABOLIC AND ENDOCRINE;CARDIOVASCULAR;ORAL AND GASTROINTESTINAL