Adjustment for body weight and physical activity has been suggested as an alternative to adjusting for reported energy intake in nutritional epidemiology. We examined which of these approaches would yield stronger correlations between nutrients and their biomarkers.

A cross-sectional study in which dietary fatty acids, carotenoids and retinol were adjusted for reported energy intake and, separately, for weight and physical activity using the residual method. Correlations between adjusted nutrients and their biomarkers were examined.

USA.

Cases and controls from a nested case–control study of erythrocyte fatty acids and CHD (n 442) and of plasma carotenoids and retinol and breast cancer (n 1254).

Correlations between intakes and plasma levels of trans-fatty acids were 0·30 (energy-adjusted) and 0·16 (weight- and activity-adjusted); for erythrocyte levels, the corresponding correlations were 0·37 and 0·25. Energy-adjusted intakes of linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid were more strongly correlated with their respective biomarkers than weight- and activity-adjusted intakes, but the differences were not significant except for linoleic acid (erythrocyte). Weight- and activity-adjusted DHA intake was slightly more strongly correlated with its plasma biomarker than energy-adjusted intake (0·37 v. 0·34). Neither method made a difference for DHA (erythrocyte), carotenoids and retinol.

The effect of energy adjustment depends on the nutrient under investigation, and adjustment for energy calculated from the same questionnaire used to estimate nutrient intakes improves the correlation of some nutrients with their biomarkers appreciably. For the nutrients examined, adjustment using weight and physical activity had at most a small effect on these correlations.

To contrast mean values of Na:K with Na and K mean intakes by demographic factors, and to calculate the prevalence of New York City (NYC) adults meeting the WHO guideline for optimal Na:K (<1 mmol/mmol, i.e. <0·59 mg/mg) using 24 h urinary values.

Data were from the 2010 Community Health Survey Heart Follow-Up Study, a population-based, representative study including data from 24 h urine collections.

Participants were interviewed using a dual-frame sample design consisting of random-digit dial telephone exchanges that cover NYC. Data were weighted to be representative of NYC adults as a whole.

The final sample of 1656 adults provided 24 h urine collections and self-reported health data.

Mean Na:K in NYC adults was 1·7 mg/mg. Elevated Na:K was observed in young, minority, low-education and high-poverty adults. Only 5·2 % of NYC adults had Na:K in the optimal range.

Na intake is high and K intake is low in NYC adults, leading to high Na:K. Na:K is a useful marker and its inclusion for nutrition surveillance in populations, in addition to Na and K intakes, is indicated.

The present study aimed to evaluate the independent associations between serum leptin concentration and dietary patterns in a Chinese population.

A cross-sectional study.

Data obtained from the 2006 wave of the China Health and Nutrition Survey in Jiangsu Province, China.

The sample contained 1061 Chinese adults (488 men and 573 women). BMI was calculated as a parameter of obesity. Factor analysis was used to derive dietary patterns. ANCOVA was performed to assess the associations between serum leptin concentration and the dietary patterns.

Four dietary patterns were derived: Western, High-wheat, Traditional and Hedonic. The Western pattern (rich in meat, milk and cake) was significantly associated with a higher level of serum leptin in men and women, both in an unadjusted model (both P for trend < 0·001) and after adjusting for sex, age, income, total energy intake, physical activity, smoking status and BMI (P for trend = 0·007 for men and P for trend < 0·001 for women). The other three dietary patterns were not significantly associated with serum leptin after adjustment. Sensitivity analysis showed there was an interaction between age and the Western pattern in relation to leptin level. An interaction also existed between current smoking status and the Western pattern.

Serum leptin concentration was positively associated with the Western dietary pattern in a Chinese population independent of BMI, energy intake and other factors.

The nutrition transition model provides an integrated approach to analyse global changes in food consumption and lifestyle patterns. Whether variability in food availability for consumption, lifestyle and sociodemographic factors is associated with the worldwide prevalence distribution of overweight, obesity and hypertension is unclear.

Ecological analysis.

Country-specific prevalence estimates of overweight, obesity and hypertension were obtained. Prevalence estimates were then matched to year- and country-specific food and energy availability for consumption of cereals, sugar, sweeteners and honey, vegetable oils, fruits, starchy roots, pulses, total vegetables, alcoholic beverages, total meat, animal fat, eggs, milk, and fish and seafood. The per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP), urbanization rates and prevalence of physical inactivity for each country were also obtained.

The overweight, obesity and hypertension databases included information from 128, 123 and seventy-nine countries, respectively.

Consumption of sugar and animal products were directly associated with GDP and urbanization rates. In a multivariate regression model, physical inactivity (B = 0·01, se = 0·005, P = 0·003), cereal consumption (B = −0·02, se = 0·006, P < 0·001) and sugar consumption (B = 0·03, se = 0·01, P = 0·03) were significant predictors of obesity prevalence. Midpoint age (B = 0·21, se = 0·10, P = 0·02), prevalence of overweight (B = 0·18, se = 0·08, P = 0·02) and consumption of cereals (B = −0·22, se = 0·10, P = 0·02) were significant predictors of hypertension. Women appeared to have a significant obesity excess compared with men.

High sugar consumption and sedentary lifestyle are associated with increased obesity prevalence. The non-linear association of sugar consumption with prevalence of obesity suggests that effective strategies to reduce its consumption may have differential effects in countries at different stages of the nutrition transition.

To assess the dietary pattern associated with hypertension and pre-hypertension among Korean male and female adults.

Cross-sectional study from a representative sample of the Korean population.

The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey IV, which was conducted in 2007 and 2008.

Males and females (n 5308) over the age of 20 years.

Scores for three major dietary patterns (‘whole food’, ‘Western’ and ‘drinking’) were generated using a factor analysis of thirty predefined food groups based on the food items consumed. We used polytomous logistic regression analyses to obtain odds ratios and 95 % confidence intervals for pre-hypertension and hypertension. Participants with a high drinking pattern score (moderate to high alcohol intake, salted fermented seafood intake) had a significantly higher prevalence of pre-hypertension or hypertension than those with a lower drinking pattern score; odds for the top quintile v. the bottom quintile were OR = 1·56 (95 % CI 1·23, 1·99; P trend = 0·001) for pre-hypertension and OR = 3·05 (95 % CI 2·12, 4·40; P trend < 0·001) for hypertension. The whole food pattern was not associated with either pre-hypertension or hypertension, while the Western pattern was associated with the prevalence of hypertension only among men.

Our finding warrants further prospective studies to examine whether alcohol drinking and salty food consumption increase the risk of developing hypertension in Koreans.

Increasing numbers of overweight and obese youth draw attention to the school as an important setting for targeted nutrition interventions, given that it is where they spend a majority of their waking time. The objective of the present study was to explore local-level factors shaping the implementation of a school nutrition policy.

In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted in person or via the telephone (a maximum of 60 min). An interview guide was informed by the Analysis Grid for Environments Linked to Obesity (ANGELO) framework, research objectives and literature. Key themes centred on policy implementation, including facilitators and barriers (i.e. resources, capacity), user satisfaction (i.e. students) and communication strategies.

Secondary schools in Ontario, Canada.

Twenty-two participants from local agencies supporting school nutrition programming (n 8) and secondary-school principals, vice principals and teachers (n 14) from nine schools across three Ontario school boards.

Results are organized according to environments outlined in the ANGELO framework. The cost of healthy food for sale, revenue loss (economic), proximity of schools to off-site food outlets (physical), the restrictive nature of policy, the role of key stakeholders (political), the role of stigma and school culture (sociocultural) act as local-level barriers to policy implementation.

Gaps in policy implementation include the high cost of food for sale and subsequent revenue generation, the close proximity of internal and external food environments, the need for consultation and communication between stakeholders, and strategies to reduce stigma and improve the school nutrition culture.

Previous studies examining the role of single foods or nutrients in the aetiology of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) have produced inconsistent findings. Few studies have examined associations for dietary patterns, which may more accurately reflect patterns of consumption and the complexity of dietary intake. The objective of the present study was to examine whether dietary patterns identified by factor analysis were associated with NHL risk.

Case–control.

Population-based sample residing in Nebraska from 1999 to 2002.

A total of 336 cases and 460 controls.

Factor analysis identified two major dietary patterns: (i) a ‘Meat, Fat and Sweets’ dietary pattern characterized by high intakes of French fries, red meat, processed meat, pizza, salty snacks, sweets and desserts, and sweetened beverages; and (ii) a ‘Fruit, Vegetables and Starch’ dietary pattern characterized by high intakes of vegetables, fruit, fish, and cereals and starches. In multivariable logistic regression models, the ‘Meat, Fat and Sweets’ dietary pattern was associated with an increased risk of overall NHL (ORQ4v.Q1 = 3·6, 95 % CI 1·9, 6·8; Ptrend = 0·0004), follicular lymphoma (ORQ4v.Q1 = 3·1, 95 % CI 1·2, 8·0; Ptrend = 0·01), diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (ORQ4v.Q1 = 3·2, 95 % CI 1·1, 9·0; Ptrend = 0·09) and marginal zone lymphoma (ORQ4v.Q1 = 8·2, 95 % CI 1·3, 51·2; Ptrend = 0·05). No association with overall or subtype-specific risk was detected for the ‘Fruit, Vegetables and Starch’ dietary pattern. No evidence of heterogeneity was detected across strata of age, sex, BMI, smoking status or alcohol consumption.

Our results suggest that a dietary pattern high in meats, fats and sweets may be associated with an increased risk of NHL.

Malnutrition is one of the most important health problems, especially in developing countries. The present study aimed to describe the socio-economic inequality in stunting and its determinants in Iran for the first time.

Cross-sectional, population-based survey, carried out in 2009. Using randomized cluster sampling, weight and height of children were measured and anthropometric indices were calculated based on child growth standards given by the WHO. Socio-economic status of families was determined using principal component analysis on household assets and social specifications of families. The concentration index was used to calculate socio-economic inequality in stunting and its determinants were measured by decomposition of this index. Factors affecting the gap between socio-economic groups were recognized by using the Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition method.

Shahroud District in north-eastern Iran.

Children (n 1395) aged <6 years.

The concentration index for socio-economic inequality in stunting was −0·1913. Mother's education contributed 70 % in decomposition of this index. Mean height-for-age Z-score was −0·544 and −0·335 for low and high socio-economic groups, respectively. Mother's education was the factor contributing most to the gap between these two groups.

There was a significant socio-economic inequality in the studied children. If mother's education is distributed equally in all the different groups of Iranian society, one can expect to eliminate 70 % of the socio-economic inequalities. Even in high socio-economic groups, the mean height-for-age Z-score was lower than the international standards. These issues emphasize the necessity of applying new interventions especially for the improvement of maternal education.

The present study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of meeting health recommendations on diet and physical activity (having breakfast, eating fruit and vegetables, consumption of milk/yoghurt, performing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, limiting television watching) and to assess junk snack food consumption in adolescents from southern Italy. The association between healthy behaviours and abdominal adiposity was also examined.

In a cross-sectional protocol, anthropometric data were measured by trained operators while other data were collected through a structured interview.

Three high schools in Naples, Italy.

A sample of 478 students, aged 14–17 years, was studied.

The proportion of adolescents who met each of the health recommendations varied: 55·4 % had breakfast on ≥6 d/week; 2·9 % ate ≥5 servings of fruit and vegetables/d; 1·9 % had ≥3 servings of milk/yoghurt daily; 13·6 % performed moderate-to-vigorous physical activity for ≥60 min/d; and 46·3 % watched television for <2 h/d. More than 65 % of adolescents consumed ≥1 serving of junk snack foods/d. Only 5 % fulfilled at least three recommendations. Healthy habits tended to correlate with each other. As the number of health recommendations met decreased, the percentage of adolescents with high abdominal adiposity (waist-to-height ratio ≥0·5) increased. The trend was not significant when the proportion of overweight/obese adolescents was considered. Logistic regression analysis indicated that male gender and watching television for ≥2 h/d were independently associated with a higher waist-to-height ratio.

Most adolescents failed to meet the five health recommendations considered. Male gender and excessive television watching were associated with abdominal adiposity.

Improving the diet of the Scottish population has been a government focus in recent years. Population health is known to vary between geographies; therefore alongside trends and socio-economic inequalities in eating behaviour, geographic differences should also be monitored.

Eating behaviour data from the 2010 Scotland Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey were modelled using multilevel linear and logistic modelling.

Data were collected in schools across urban and rural Scotland.

Schoolchildren aged 15 years.

Adolescents living in remote rural Scotland had the highest consumption frequency of vegetables (on average consumed on 6·68 d/week) and the lowest consumption frequency of sweets and crisps (on 4·27 and 3·02 d/week, respectively). However, it was not in the major four cities of Scotland (Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen) but in the geography described by the classification ‘other urban’ areas (large towns of between 10 000 and 125 000 residents) that adolescents had the poorest diet. Deprivation and rurality were independently associated with food consumption for all but fruit consumption. Sharing a family meal, dieting behaviour, food poverty and breakfast consumption did not differ by rurality. Variance at the school level was significant for fruit and vegetable consumption frequencies and for irregular breakfast consumption, regardless of rurality.

Young people from rural areas have a healthier diet than those living in urban areas. The eating behaviours examined did not explain these differences. Future research should investigate why urban–rural differences exist for consumption frequencies of ‘healthy’ and ‘unhealthy’ foods.

Initiatives promoting the reduction of high-salt food consumption by consumers need to be partly based on current levels of salt knowledge in the population. However, to date there is no validated salt knowledge questionnaire that could be used to assess population knowledge about dietary salt (i.e. salt knowledge). Therefore, the aim of the present study was to develop and validate a salt knowledge questionnaire.

A cross-sectional study was conducted on an online web survey platform using convenience, snowball sampling. The survey questionnaire was evaluated for content and face validity before being administered to the respondents.

Online survey.

A total of forty-one nutrition experts, thirty-two nutrition students and thirty-six lay people participated in the study.

Item analyses were performed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the test items. Twenty-five items were retained to form the final set of questions. The total scores of the experts were higher than those of the students and lay people (P < 0·05). The total salt knowledge score showed significant correlations with use of salt at the table (ρ = −0·197, P < 0·05) and inspection of the salt content in food products when shopping (ρ = 0·400; P < 0·01).

The questionnaire demonstrated sufficient evidence of construct validity and internal consistencies between the items. It is likely to be a useful tool for the evaluation and measurement of levels of salt knowledge in the general population.

To examine the use of vitamin D supplements during infancy among the participants in an international infant feeding trial.

Longitudinal study.

Information about vitamin D supplementation was collected through a validated FFQ at the age of 2 weeks and monthly between the ages of 1 month and 6 months.

Infants (n 2159) with a biological family member affected by type 1 diabetes and with increased human leucocyte antigen-conferred susceptibility to type 1 diabetes from twelve European countries, the USA, Canada and Australia.

Daily use of vitamin D supplements was common during the first 6 months of life in Northern and Central Europe (>80 % of the infants), with somewhat lower rates observed in Southern Europe (>60 %). In Canada, vitamin D supplementation was more common among exclusively breast-fed than other infants (e.g. 71 % v. 44 % at 6 months of age). Less than 2 % of infants in the USA and Australia received any vitamin D supplementation. Higher gestational age, older maternal age and longer maternal education were study-wide associated with greater use of vitamin D supplements.

Most of the infants received vitamin D supplements during the first 6 months of life in the European countries, whereas in Canada only half and in the USA and Australia very few were given supplementation.

The present study aimed to assess the adequacy of Ca intake and major food sources of Ca in Korean children and adolescents.

A cross-sectional study.

Data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2007–2010. We analysed the daily Ca intake, major food sources of Ca and the prevalence of inadequate Ca intake in the study population. Ca intake was categorized as inadequate when the participant's daily Ca intake was less than the Estimated Average Requirement.

The study population consisted of 7233 children and adolescents (3973 boys, 3260 girls; aged 1–18 years).

Mean Ca intake was 510·2 mg/d in boys and 431·7 mg/d in girls. Overall, 75·0 % of adolescents (boys 71·6 %, girls 79·1 %) had inadequate Ca intake. The prevalence of inadequate Ca intake increased significantly from toddlers (45–55 %) to adolescents (78–86 %) in both genders. The highest ranked food sources for Ca were dairy products (35·0 %), followed by vegetables (17·3 %), grains (11·3 %) and seafood (9·9 %). Ca intake from dairy products decreased significantly from 57 % in toddlers to 30 % in adolescents, while Ca intakes from other foods increased with age.

Inadequate Ca intake is highly prevalent and increased with age in Korean children and adolescents. It should be emphasized to encourage children and adolescents to eat more Ca-rich products to meet their Ca needs.

In some high-income countries, a sizeable proportion of households are estimated to be food insecure. It is well known that food insecurity varies between countries and is strongly tied to household income level. The local environment may be another level of influence, which has been relatively understudied. The present review sought to synthesize and critically appraise the existing literature examining local environmental characteristics in relation to individual/household-level food insecurity in the general population.

A systematic search strategy was used to search MEDLINE, MEDLINE In-process and Other Non-indexed, EMBASE, PsychINFO, Social Services Abstracts and Sociological Abstracts databases for studies examining local place characteristic(s) in relation to self-reported food insecurity.

Studies could be experimental or observational, but had to be published in a peer-reviewed journal in French or English, and involve individuals from developed countries. ‘Place’ was defined locally, as ranging from the street to the county level.

The target population for the review included non-institutionalized individuals in the general population.

After obtaining full-text articles, eighteen primary studies met the eligibility criteria. Most studies were conducted in the USA and all but one was cross-sectional. Seven of the eleven studies that examined location of residence found that rural living was inversely associated with food insecurity. Mixed results were seen for other place measures such as social capital and distance to food stores.

Studies were heterogeneous and had various limitations that preclude definitive conclusions from being drawn. Recommendations for future research are provided.

The current study characterizes associations between physical and social contexts of self-reported primary episodes of eating/drinking and sociodemographic and obesity-related variables in US adults.

Multinomial logistic regression was used to analyse a nationally representative sample of adults from the 2006–2008 American Time Use Survey. Models identifying physical (where) and social (whom) contexts of primary eating/drinking episodes at the population level, controlling for demographic characteristics, weight status and time of eating, were conducted.

USA.

A nationally representative sample of US adults (n 21 315).

Eating/drinking with immediate family was positively associated with age (OR = 1·15 (95 % CI 1·04, 1·27) to 1·23 (95 % CI 1·09, 1·39)), education level (OR = 1·16 (95 % CI 1·03, 1·30) to 1·36 (95 % CI 1·21, 1·54)), obesity (OR = 1·13 (95 % CI 1·04, 1·22)), children in the household (OR = 3·39 (95 % CI 3·14, 3·66)) and time of day (OR = 1·70 (95 % CI 1·39, 2·07) to 5·73 (95 % CI 4·70, 6·99)). Eating in the workplace was negatively associated with female gender (OR = 0·65 (95 % CI 0·60, 0·70)) and children in the household (OR = 0·90 (95 % CI 0·83, 0·98)), while positively associated with non-white status (OR = 1·14 (95 % CI 1·01, 1·29) to 1·47 (95 % CI 1·32, 1·65)) and time of day (OR = 0·25 (95 % CI 0·28, 0·30) to 5·65 (95 % CI 4·66, 6·85)). Women (OR = 0·80 (95 % CI 0·74, 0·86)), those aged >34 years (OR = 0·48 (95 % CI 0·43, 0·54) to 0·83 (95 % CI 0·74, 0·93)) and respondents with children (OR = 0·69 (95 % CI 0·63, 0·75)) were less likely to eat in a restaurant/bar/retail than at home. Overweight and obese respondents had a greater odds of reporting an episode of eating in social situations v. alone (e.g. immediate family and extended family; OR = 1·13 (95 % CI 1·04, 1·22)) and episodes occurring in restaurant/bar/retail locations (OR = 1·12 (95 % CI 1·03, 1·23) to 1·14 (95 % CI 1·05, 1·24)).

Findings underscore the multidimensional nature of describing eating/drinking episodes. Social and physical contexts for eating/drinking and their demographic correlates suggest opportunities for tailoring interventions related to diet and may inform intervention targeting and scope.

To evaluate the reproducibility and validity of a previously constructed FFQ to assess the usual diet of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Cross-sectional survey using two quantitative FFQ (1-month interval) supported by a food photograph portfolio, a 3 d weighed diet record (WDR) and urinary N output measurement (as a biomarker of protein intake).

Group of Nutrition in Endocrinology, southern Brazil.

Out-patients with T2DM.

From a total of 104 eligible T2DM patients, eighty-eight were included in the evaluation of FFQ reproducibility and seventy-two provided data for the validity study. The intakes estimated from the two FFQ did not differ (P > 0·05) and the correlation coefficients were significant (P < 0·01) for energy and nutrients, ranging from 0·451 (soluble fibre) to 0·936 (PUFA). Regarding the validity evaluation, data from the FFQ were higher than those from the WDR for total (28·3 %), soluble (27·4 %) and insoluble fibres (29·1 %), and SFA (13·5 %), MUFA (11·1 %) and total lipids (9·2 %; all P < 0·05). There were significant correlation coefficients between the FFQ and WDR for most nutrients, when adjusted for energy intake and de-attenuated. Also, the Bland–Altman plots between the FFQ and WDR for energy and macronutrient intakes showed that the FFQ may be used as alternative method to the WDR. The validity coefficient (using the method of triads) for the FFQ protein intake was 0·522 (95 % CI 0·414, 0·597).

This quantitative FFQ was valid and precise to assess the usual diet of patients with T2DM, according to its validity and reproducibility.

To determine the serum concentrations of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), aflatoxin B2 (AFB2), aflatoxin G1 (AFG1) and aflatoxin G2 (AFG2) in the healthy adult population living in both the Black Sea and Mediterranean regions of Turkey and to investigate the regional, seasonal and gender variability in aflatoxins (AF) exposure in these regions.

Serum AFB1, AFB2, AFG1 and AFG2 concentrations were analysed by HPLC.

In total, four hundred and eighty-four serum samples were analysed.

Four hundred and eighty-four healthy adult volunteers living in rural areas of the Black Sea and Mediterranean regions of Turkey were studied.

The mean serum concentration of total AF in the Black Sea region was 1·33 ppb (min–max 0·15–3·38 ppb) and 0·90 ppb (min–max 0·18–2·48 ppb) for summer and winter, respectively. In the Mediterranean region, the mean serum concentration of total AF was determined as 0·55 ppb (range 0·04–1·72 ppb) for summer and 0·45 ppb (range 0·12–1·43 ppb) for winter. The total AF concentrations in serum samples were statistically higher in summer compared with winter for the two regions. The differences between the regions were statistically significant concerning all samples, with higher total AF concentrations in the Black Sea region.

The overall results suggest that the Turkish population living in these two regions is continuously exposed to AF, particularly in the summer, and that mycotoxin contamination in food should be monitored routinely for food safety and human health.

To provide nationally representative data on the prevalence of anaemia, vitamin A and Fe deficiencies among pre-school age children (pre-SAC) and non-pregnant women of reproductive age (WRA), and on vitamin B12 and folate deficiencies in WRA, and the influence of inflammation on their interpretation.

A cross-sectional survey to measure anthropometry, malaria parasitaemia and micronutrient status. Specifically, blood samples were analysed for Hb, plasma ferritin, soluble transferrin receptors, C-reactive protein, α1-acid glycoprotein, retinol-binding protein, vitamin B12 and folate.

Côte d'Ivoire in 2007.

Nine hundred and twenty-eight WRA and 879 pre-SAC.

In WRA, prevalence of Plasmodium parasitaemia (5 %) was low, but inflammation (34 %) was higher. Anaemia was a severe public health problem and prevalence differed by residency and eco-region. Inflammation-adjusted Fe deficiency was highest in urban areas (20 %). Nationally, folate deficiency was 86 %, higher in urban areas and varied by eco-region. Prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency was low but higher in the rural areas and the north. Inflammation-adjusted vitamin A deficiency was very low (1 %). In pre-SAC, prevalence of inflammation (67 %) and Plasmodium parasites (25 %) was high; the latter was associated with poverty, rural residency and higher ferritin concentrations. Anaemia was classified as a severe public health problem (72 %), and was higher in rural areas (76 %) and the north (87 %). A quarter of pre-SAC suffered from vitamin A deficiency (inflammation-adjusted) and prevalence of undernutrition was high.

Prevalence of inflammation, Plasmodium parasitaemia and micronutrient deficiencies were high in Côte d'Ivoire, particularly in pre-SAC. Nutritional interventions should be accompanied by strategies to reduce exposure to infections.

To evaluate the use of an administered eighty-item FFQ to assess nutrient intake and diet quality in 3-year-old children.

Frequency of consumption and portion size of the foods listed on the FFQ during the 3 months preceding the interview were reported by the child's main caregiver; after the interview a 2 d prospective food diary (FD) was completed on behalf of the child. Nutrient intakes from the FFQ and FD were estimated using UK food composition data. Diet quality was assessed from the FFQ and FD according to the child's scores for a principal component analysis-defined dietary pattern (‘prudent’ pattern), characterised by high consumption of fruit, vegetables, water and wholemeal cereals.

Southampton, UK.

Children (n 892) aged 3 years in the Southampton Women's Survey.

Intakes of all nutrients assessed by the FFQ were higher than FD estimates, but there was reasonable agreement in terms of ranking of children (range of Spearman rank correlations for energy-adjusted nutrient intakes, rs = 0·41 to 0·59). Prudent diet scores estimated from the FFQ and FD were highly correlated (r = 0·72). Some family and child characteristics appeared to influence the ability of the FFQ to rank children, most notably the number of child's meals eaten away from home.

The FFQ provides useful information to allow ranking of children at this age with respect to nutrient intake and quality of diet, but may overestimate absolute intakes. Dietary studies of young children need to consider family and child characteristics that may impact on reporting error associated with an FFQ.