Standardization of the Food Composition Database Used in the Latin American Nutrition and Health Study (ELANS)

Abstract

Between-country comparisons of estimated dietary intake are particularly prone to error when different food composition tables are used. The objective of this study was to describe our procedures and rationale for the selection and adaptation of available food composition to a single database to enable cross-country nutritional intake comparisons. Latin American Study of Nutrition and Health (ELANS) is a multicenter cross-sectional study of representative samples from eight Latin American countries. A standard study protocol was designed to investigate dietary intake of 9000 participants enrolled. Two 24-h recalls using the Multiple Pass Method were applied among the individuals of all countries. Data from 24-h dietary recalls were entered into the Nutrition Data System for Research (NDS-R) program after a harmonization process between countries to include local foods and appropriately adapt the NDS-R database. A food matching standardized procedure involving nutritional equivalency of local food reported by the study participants with foods available in the NDS-R database was strictly conducted by each country. Standardization of food and nutrient assessments has the potential to minimize systematic and random errors in nutrient intake estimations in the ELANS project. This study is expected to result in a unique dataset for Latin America, enabling cross-country comparisons of energy, macro- and micro-nutrient intake within this region.

Total and added sugars consumption in Argentina: Their contribution to daily energy intake. Results from Latin American Study of Nutrition and Health (ELANS)

“…To resolve this inconvenience, information on sugar content of the foods was obtained through the list of ingredients and consultation with the manufacturers. Overall, 638 foods were standardised, and 195 recipes were created to facilitate data entry in the NDS software …”

“…Overall, 638 foods were standardised, and 195 recipes were created to facilitate data entry in the NDS software. 13 The definition of 'AS' and the method to calculate it also differ between databases. Therefore, it is extremely difficult for consumers to understand how to adhere to a diet that meets the WHO recommendations for sugar intake (less than 10% of the calories from FS) without a previous agreement on the definitions of TS, AS and FS.…”

“…12 A process of food matching for the standardisation of the local foods was performed to be able to use the NDS-R. As a result of this process, 638 local foods and 195 recipes were standardised. For more details on the food standardisation process, see Kovalskys et al 13 The NDS-R software analyses of TS and AS intake, but not the intake of FS, according to the WHO definition. To calculate the content of FS, we also identified those foods that were included as 'FS' in the WHO classification.…”

Anthropometry, dietary intake, physical activity and sitting time patterns in adolescents aged 15–17 years: an international comparison in eight Latin American countries

“…This data was transformed into energy taking into account macro-and micronutrient quantities using the Nutrition Data System for Research software (NDS-R Version 2013, Minnesota University, Minnesota, USA). The quality control system and complete procedure for standardization of the food composition database are available in other published studies [14,25].…”

Evaluación de la alimentación en alumnos de escuelas primarias públicas con y sin comedor escolar en la ciudad de Santa Fe, Argentina

“…Si bien se utilizó un programa desarrollado para la ENNyS del año 2005, muchos alimentos no están presentes y se debe recurrir a datos de otras tablas de composición de alimentos. En un futuro cercano, cuando se encuentre disponible el software desarrollado en el Proyecto ELANS, se logrará unificar el análisis de la información nutricional 39 .…”