. 2016 Sep 14;20(3):417–448. doi: 10.1017/S1368980016002366

Table 5.

Summary of diet records: instrument purpose and characteristics

Study	Population	Purpose	Time period	Mode	Structure	Portion estimation
‘Food in later life’ project⁽ ⁶⁸ ⁾	Adults/elderly 65–98 years	Identify factors associated with nutritional risk	Seven consecutive days	Self-admin.	None reported	Estimated
North/South Food Consumption survey⁽ ⁴⁵ ^, ⁸¹ ⁾	Adults 18–64 years	Determine estimates of intake of dietary fibre and NSP⁽ ⁸¹ ⁾ Establish a database of habitual food and drink consumption⁽ ⁴⁵ ⁾	Seven consecutive days	Self-admin.	Recorded the types and amounts of all foods, beverages and nutritional supplements, the time and location of each ‘eating occasion’, the method of cooking and brand name, leftovers, recipe details and a definition of the ‘eating occasion’ as the subject perceived it, as either a meal or a snack Detailed instructions were given on the recording of recipes and food/drink eaten out	Mixed methods: Direct weighing, photographic atlas and food manufacturers’ product data, IUNA information and data from previous UK surveys. The foods selected for inclusion in the album for use in the survey were foods consumed commonly in Ireland Portion was ‘estimated’ if the fieldworker made an assessment of the amount likely to have been consumed, based on their knowledge of the respondent’s general eating habits observed during the recording period IUNA information: Average portions were ascertained for certain foods by the survey team. These foods included fruits, vegetables Data collected as part of previous UK studies: These included weights of vegetables
Parfitt et al. ⁽ ⁸³ ⁾	Adults 18–32 years	Compare dietary intake in persons on typical regional diets	5–7 d (not reported if consecutive)	Self-admin.	None reported	Estimated and weighed All portions eaten and component ingredients, where relevant, were weighed on household scales Meals eaten out portions quantified in household measures or the standard reference work Food Portion Sizes ‘17’ was used to help estimate portion sizes
SENECA⁽ ⁴³ ^, ⁴⁴ ^, ⁹⁰ ⁾	Adults/elderly 70–75 years	Examine cross-cultural differences in nutrition and lifestyle factors⁽ ⁴³ ⁾ Examine cross-cultural variations and changes in intake over time⁽ ⁹⁰ ⁾	Three consecutive days	Self-admin. (3 d record) followed by face-to-face interview	1. Estimated diet record, structured by 8 meal periods 2. Frequency checklist Relevant items on Dutch frequency checklist included: Under vegetables: ‘Green leafy vegetables’, ‘Carrots’, ‘Tomatoes’, ‘Pulses’, ‘Peppers’, ‘Potatoes’, ‘Other beans and peas’, ‘Other beets/roots’, ‘Salads’ Under fruits: ‘Fruits rich in vit. C & examples’, ‘Bananas’, ‘Carotene rich fruit & examples’, ‘Dried fruits’, ‘Fatty fruits’, ‘Other fruits’	Estimated and weighed Portion sizes recorded in household measures and checked by weighing Beverages portion size estimated using glasses or cups
Seven Countries Study⁽ ⁴ ^, ⁹¹ ^, ⁹² ⁾	Adults/elderly 40–59 years (at enrolment)	Compare diets among diabetic and non-diabetic men⁽ ⁹¹ ⁾ Test association of F&V and fish with COPD⁽ ⁴ ^, ⁹² ⁾	Cross-check dietary history Method concerning the month preceding the interview	Face-to-face interview	Usual food consumption pattern of a person was assessed on daily basis during week and weekend days, i.e. about the foods used at breakfast, lunch, dinner and between meals. Based on list of all food compiled from this, they recorded what was eaten on a daily, weekly or monthly basis Checklist with an extensive number of foods was used to record the frequencies and amounts of foods consumed	Estimated Finland: photos The Netherlands: by a portable scale Italy: by artificial models of different foods in Italy
Tessier et al. ⁽ ⁹⁴ ⁾*	Adults/mothers 50–91 years Adults/daughters 22–60 years	Examine changes in diet intake over time	Qualitative questionnaire. Not stated	Face-to-face interview	Open-ended questions. Four-category frequency scale for vegetables: never; rarely; sometimes; often; always	No
WHO-MONICA EC/MONICA Project optional nutrition study⁽ ⁴⁶ ^, ¹⁰⁸ ^, ¹²³ ⁾	Adults/men 45–64 years	Monitor trends in risk factors for CVD, including diet⁽ ¹⁰⁸ ⁾ Assess snack patterns⁽ ¹²³ ⁾	Three consecutive days (Belgium, France, Northern Ireland, Finland, Italy) Seven consecutive days (Germany, Denmark, UK) Three consecutive 24-HDR (Barcelona)	Self-admin. Interview-administered or telephone-administered for Barcelona	Generally week and weekend days representative for the whole week were included Data collection in several seasons Recorded preparation method, type of food or brand names, and recipes	Estimated Picture book/food models (France, Spain, Italy, Germany) Household measures (Germany, France, Spain, Finland, UK, Italy, Denmark) Standard units (Germany, France, Finland, Spain, UK, Italy, Denmark)

SENECA, Survey in Europe on Nutrition and the Elderly; a Concerted Action; MONICA, Multinational MONItoring of trends and determinants in CArdiovascular disease; F&V, fruit and vegetables; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; 24-HDR, 24 h recall; self-admin., self-administered, vit., vitamin; IUNA, Irish Universities Nutrition Alliance.

Original instrument obtained for review.