TABLE 1.
List of main indicators used in the NutriNet-Santé cohort study and in the BioNutriNet project
| Indicator | Dimension measured by the indicator | Data sources | Aim/Definition | Indicator level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sociodemographic data (N)1 | Sociocultural dimension | Validated questionnaire (self-report) | Characterization of socioeconomic profiles (gender, age, education, employment, etc.) | Individual level |
| Lifestyle data (N) | Cultural dimension | Questionnaire (self-report) | Characterization of tobacco status, physical activity, alcohol consumption | Individual level |
| Health data (N) | Health dimension | Questionnaire (self-report and further validation by a medical committee) | Characterization of health status (major health events) | Individual level |
| Purchase motives (N) | Cultural dimension | Validated questionnaire (self-report) | Assessment of food choice motives during purchase based on 9 dimensions: 1) absence of contaminants; 2) environmental limitations; 3) ethics and environment; 4) taste; 5) innovation; 6) local and traditional production; 7) price; 8) health; and 9) convenience | Individual level |
| Place of food purchase (B)2 | Cultural dimension | Questionnaire (self-report) | Assessment of food practices, perception, attitudes towards organic food, and place of purchase of main (organic and conventional) food categories | Individual level |
| Dietary intakes (B) | Nutritional dimension | Org-FFQ3/composition database | Measure of the absolute and relative intakes of main foods and nutrients | Individual level. Derivation of the intakes using a specially Org-FFQ adapted food composition database |
| Dietary scores (B) | Nutritional dimension | Org-FFQ/composition database | Measure of the consumption of the overall dietary quality (including adequacy to French food-based nutritional guidelines and nutrient-based reference values) | Individual level |
| BMI (N) | Anthropometry dimension | Validated questionnaire (self-report) + clinical data | Measure of underweight and different levels of overweight | Individual level |
| Greenhouse gas emissions (B) | Environmental dimension | Mostly DIALECTE database, partially completed by data available in the literature | Measure of climate change | Farm level considering the food production systems (organic vs. conventional) and further allocations of economic, mass, cooking, and edibility factors to obtain impacts at the consumer level |
| Primary energy consumption (B) | Environmental dimension | Mostly DIALECTE database partially completed by data available in the literature for 442 ingredients | Measure of use of energy resource | Farm level considering the food production systems (organic vs. conventional) and further allocations of economic, mass, cooking, and edibility factors to obtain impacts at the consumer level |
| Land use (B) | Environmental dimension | Mostly DIALECTE database, partially completed by data available in the literature for 442 ingredients | Partial measure of the reflection of natural resource depletion | Farm level considering the food production systems (organic vs. conventional) and further allocations of economic, mass, cooking, and edibility factors to obtain impacts at the consumer level |
| Diet costs (B) | Economic dimension | Kantar-World panel purchase database (2012), completed by ∼2000 prices collected from short supply chains by Bioconsom'acteurs’ members (Autumn 2014 and Spring 2015) | Assessment of the budget devoted to diet | Individual level. Computation of the indicators considering the place of purchase of main food categories, as well as the food production systems (organic vs. conventional) and further allocations of edibility and cooking factors to obtain impacts at the consumer level |
| Dietary pesticide residue exposure (B) | Food safety dimension | CVUA Stuttgart database (2012–2015) European reference laboratory for the development of methods for the analysis of residues on plant products | Measure of the exposure from plant-derived products to >40 pesticides through 2 scenarios (lower- and upper- bounds) | Individual level. Assessment of the pesticide exposure from 180 plant ingredients, considering the food production systems (organic vs. conventional) and further allocations of edibility and cooking factors to obtain impacts at the consumer level |
Abbreviations: CVUA, Chemisches und Veterinäruntersuchungsamt; Org-FFQ, organic FFQ.
1
(N) refers to data collected in the NutriNet-Santé cohort study.
2
(B) refers to data collected specifically in the BioNutriNet project.
3
The Org-FFQ was built on a previously validated FFQ with additions for each food and beverage item existing in an organic version on a 5-point ordinal scale so as to estimate the organic food consumption frequency.