National Food, Nutrition, and Physical Activity Survey of the Portuguese General Population (2015-2016): Protocol for Design and Development

Abstract

BackgroundThe assessment of food consumption data using harmonized methodologies at the European level is fundamental to support the development of public policies. Portugal is one of the countries with the most outdated information on individual food consumption.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to describe the design and methodology of the National Food, Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey, 2015-2016, developed to collect national and regional data on dietary habits, physical activity (PA), and nutritional status, in a representative sample of the Portuguese general population (3 months-84 years).MethodsParticipants were selected by multistage sampling, using the National Heath Registry as the sampling frame. Data collection, during 12 months, was harmonized according to European guidelines (EU-MENU, European Food Safety Authority [EFSA]). Computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) was performed on a specific electronic platform synchronized with nutritional composition data and considering the FoodEx2 classification system. Dietary assessment was performed using 24-hour recalls (two nonconsecutive, 8-15 days apart) or food diaries in the case of children aged <10 years, complemented with a food propensity questionnaire; PA data (International Physical Activity Questionnaire [IPAQ], the Activity Choice Index [ACI], and 4-days PA diaries); sociodemographic data, and other health-related data were also collected.ResultsA sample of 6553 individuals completed the first interview, and 5811 participants completed two dietary assessments. The participation rate among eligible individuals was 33.38% (6553/19,635), considering the first interview, and 29.60% (5811/19,635) for the participants with two completed interviews (about 40% in children and adolescents and 20% in elderly individuals). Results of the survey will be disseminated in national and international scientific journals during 2018-2019.ConclusionsThe survey will assist policy planning and management of national and European health programs on the improvement of nutritional status and risk assessment related to food hazards, and the enhancement of PA. The infrastructures and data driven from this Survey are a solid basis to the development of a future national surveillance system on diet, PA, and other health behaviors reproducible over time.

The role of socio-economic factors in food consumption of Portuguese children and adolescents: results from the National Food, Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey 2015–2016

“…Participants were part of the National Food, Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey of the Portuguese population 2015-2016 (IAN-AF 2015-2016) (22,23) . In brief, this survey collected nationwide data from a representative sample of the Portuguese population aged between 3 months and 84 years by multistage sampling, according to the National Health Registry stratified by the seven Statistical Geographic Units of Portugal and weighted according to sex, age groups and region.…”

Malnutrition among older adults living in Portuguese nursing homes: the PEN-3S study

“…Demographic and socio-economic data, including age, sex, educational level, marital status, self-perception of financial situation and total time living in the nursing home, as well as data on self-reported morbidity, self-rated appetite in the last 7 d, eating difficulties due to oral health problems in the last 7 d, nutritional status, anthropometry, cognitive function, symptoms of depression, loneliness feelings and functional status, were collected. For demographic, socio-economic, behavioural and morbidity data, the National Food, Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (IAN-AF) methodology was used and data were collected through the platform 'YOU, eAT& MOVE', developed by IAN-AF (31) .…”

Projected impact of the Portuguese sugar-sweetened beverage tax on obesity incidence across different age groups: A modelling study

“…Baseline DED from SSBs was calculated, at the individual level, considering the energy content (kcal/gram) of all SSBs consumed by an individual divided by the amount of total food that same individual consumed (in grams), using information from the IAN-AF 2015-2016 [15,23].…”

“…2015-2016 [15,23]; and obesity incidence data by age group from several Portuguese cohorts, namely Generation XXI [24,25], EPITeen [26], and EPIPorto [27].…”

“…Data on SSB sugar and energy content (grams/100 ml) from GlobalData (from 2016) were merged with the SSB consumption of each individual, from the IAN-AF 2015-2016 [15,23], by brand and flavour descriptors.…”