Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.The National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) Rolling Programme (RP) began in 2008 and is designed to assess the diet, nutrient intake and nutritional status of the general population aged 1.5 years and over living in private households in the UK. (For details of the previous NDNS series, which began in 1992, see the documentation for studies 3481, 4036, 4243 and 5140.)The programme is funded by Public Health England (PHE), an executive agency of the Department of Health, and the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA).The NDNS RP is currently carried out by a consortium comprising NatCen Social Research (NatCen) (NatCen, contract lead) and the MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge (scientific lead). The MRC Epidemiology Unit joined the consortium in November 2017. Until December 2018, the consortium included the MRC Elsie Widdowson Laboratory, Cambridge (former scientific lead). In Years 1 to 5 (2008/09 – 2012/13) the consortium also included the University College London Medical School (UCL).Survey activities at the MRC Epidemiology Unit are delivered with the support of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre (IS-BRC-1215- 20014), comprising the NIHR BRC Nutritional Biomarker Laboratory and NIHR BRC Dietary Assessment and Physical Activity Group. The NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre is a partnership between Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Cambridge, funded by the NIHR. The NDNS RP provides the only source of high quality, nationally representative UK data on the types and quantities of foods consumed by individuals, from which estimates of nutrient intake for the population are derived. Results are used by Government to develop policy and monitor progress toward diet and nutrition objectives of UK Health Departments, for example work to tackle obesity and monitor progress towards a healthy, balanced diet as visually depicted in the Eatwell Guide. The NDNS RP provides an important source of evidence underpinning the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) work relating to national nutrition policy. The food consumption data are also used by the FSA to assess exposure to chemicals in food, as part of the risk assessment and communication process in response to a food emergency or to inform negotiations on setting regulatory limits for contaminants.Further information is available from the gov.uk National Diet and Nutrition Survey webpage.

The last national survey of diet and nutrition in adults was the Dietary and Nutritional Survey of British Adults carried out in 1986/87 (held at UKDA under SN 2836). The changes in eating habits and lifestyles noted in that survey have continued throughout the intervening years. Increasing numbers of people are travelling and taking holidays abroad, and with increased multi-culturalism this has led to a greater variety of foods available. Increasing demands on people's time and longer working hours have led to greater demand and availability of pre-prepared and convenience foods. There has also been an increase in eating outside the home. There was a need, therefore, to assess the impact of such changes on diet and nutrition among adults, to update the findings of the 1986/87 Adults Survey and to complete the NDNS cycle by conducting a survey on adults aged 19 to 64 years. The survey of adults aged 19 to 64 years aimed to collect data on diet through a questionnaire and a seven-day weighed intake record for a nationally representative sample living in private households in Great Britain. The study also included a seven-day bowel movement record, a seven-day physical activity diary, anthropometric and blood pressure measurements, a 24-hour urine sample and a blood sample. The Food Standards Agency nutrient databank, which is used to convert food weights into nutrient intake, has also been deposited with this study.

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There are two groups of datasets included in the study: primary datasets containing data in the format originally collected, and derived datasets. The primary data includes dietary data from the food diary at four levels: person level, day level (seven days were collected per diary), container level (this is a group of foods consumed together at the same serving) and food item level. Also included are data from the seven-day physical activity diary for and the keyed anthropometric and blood pressure data. There is also a file of blood and urine analyte data and a copy of the Food Standards Agency nutrient database which is used to convert food weights into nutrient intake. The derived datasets provided include average nutrient intake for each person, intake of food sub-groups, nutrient intakes at the food item level and average daily intake of each of 55 nutrients from different food types. In addition, files are provided containing the key derived variables for the initial dietary interview, blood and urinary analytes, physical measurements and variables derived from the physical activity diary data. Full details of the datasets are provided in Section 3 of the User Guide. Specifications for the derived variables are given in Appendix A of the User Guide.

Multi-stage stratified random sample

Face-to-face interview

Self-completion

Clinical measurements

Diaries

Physical measurements

CAPI