DOI: 10.5255/ukda-sn-4243-1
title: National Diet and Nutrition Survey : Young People Aged 4 to 18 Years, 1997
title: National Diet and Nutrition Surveys

description: &lt;p&gt;The National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) Rolling Programme (RP) began in 2008 and is designed to assess the diet, nutrient intake and nutritional status of the general population aged 1.5 years and over living in private households in the UK. (For details of the previous NDNS series, which began in 1992, see the documentation for studies 3481, 4036, 4243 and 5140.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The programme is funded by Public Health England (PHE), an executive agency of the Department of Health, and the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The NDNS RP is currently carried out by a consortium comprising NatCen Social Research (NatCen) (NatCen, contract lead) and the MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge (scientific lead). The MRC Epidemiology Unit joined the consortium in November 2017. Until December 2018, the consortium included the MRC Elsie Widdowson Laboratory, Cambridge (former scientific lead). In Years 1 to 5 (2008/09 – 2012/13) the consortium also included the University College London Medical School (UCL).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Survey activities at the MRC Epidemiology Unit are delivered with the support of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre (IS-BRC-1215- 20014), comprising the NIHR BRC Nutritional Biomarker Laboratory and NIHR BRC Dietary Assessment and Physical Activity Group. The NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre is a partnership between Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Cambridge, funded by the NIHR. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;The NDNS RP provides the only source of high quality, nationally representative UK data on the types and quantities of foods consumed by individuals, from which estimates of nutrient intake for the population are derived. Results are used by Government to develop policy and monitor progress toward diet and nutrition objectives of UK Health Departments, for example work to tackle obesity and monitor progress towards a healthy, balanced diet as visually depicted in the &lt;a title="Eatwell Guide" href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-eatwell-guide" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"&gt;Eatwell Guide&lt;/a&gt;. The NDNS RP provides an important source of evidence underpinning the &lt;a title="Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition" href="https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/scientific-advisory-committee-on-nutrition" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"&gt;Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition&lt;/a&gt; (SACN) work relating to national nutrition policy. The food consumption data are also used by the FSA to assess exposure to chemicals in food, as part of the risk assessment and communication process in response to a food emergency or to inform negotiations on setting regulatory limits for contaminants.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;Further information is available from the gov.uk &lt;a title="National Diet and Nutrition Survey" href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-diet-and-nutrition-survey"&gt;National Diet and Nutrition Survey&lt;/a&gt; webpage.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt; The survey of young people aged 4 to 18 years aimed to collect data on diet through a questionnaire and a 7-day weighed intake record for a nationally representative sample living in private households in Great Britain. The study also included a 7-day bowel movement record, a 7-day physical activity diary, anthropometric and blood pressure measurem ents, a spot urine sample and a blood sample. The survey consisted of two parts: Part 1, the Diet and Nutrition Survey, and Part 2, the Oral Health Survey.&lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
In addition to the aims of the survey series as a whole, the survey of young people was designed to:&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;provide data to assist in the development of dietary guidelines for young people, including dietary guidelines for food provided by schools&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;determine the frequency of bowel movement in this age group&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;provide baseline and comparative data for blood pressure and some anthropometric measurements in this age group&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;provide baseline and comparative data for some haematological and biochemical indices in blood and urine in this age group&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;