This tool makes it easier for practitioners and decision makers to understand dietary patterns and nutrient intake. Such information is critical to design, monitor, and evaluate efforts to improve diets. The decision tool provides existing data sources and data collection tools related to the different target groups and diet questions below.
The tools provide information on diets of five target groups:
Diet Assessment Tool
Publicly available global database for individual food consumption from national or sub-national surveys using 24-hour dietary recall data or data from diet records; download data for analysis.
Diet Assessment Tool
An interviewer will first ask the caregiver about all foods/beverages consumed by the child in the past 24 hours. Then, the interview probes for additional details, including preparation methods and estimates of amounts consumed. Next, analysts compare the intake to estimated average requirements (EAR), adequate intake, or probability estimates. Users can utilize the data to construct the indicator minimum dietary diversity for children (MDD).
Diet Assessment Tool
Users can embed the qualitative 24-hour dietary recall questions into an existing survey. Use the questions to calculate the minimum dietary diversity for women (MDD-W) indicator, which is positively associated with micronutrient adequacy of the diet.
Diet Assessment Tool
HCESs collect data on household socio-economic conditions including food acquisition and consumption. Users can download data for analysis. Nutrient intake is referred to as “apparent intake” because household-level micronutrient supplies are distributed among household members in proportion to individual energy requirements. The HCES is also known as Living Standards Measurement Study (LSMS).
Diet Assessment Tool
Users must register/login on the website to access data. Data on food consumption from national or subnational surveys using 24-hour dietary recalls, diet records, food frequency questionnaires, or standardized questionnaires are available. The website also includes Excel files with median intake for specific nutrients by age for selected countries.
USAID Nutrition Resource Hub
This study examined the distribution and consumption of iron-folic acid tablets within antenatal care programs in 22 countries with high burdens of undernutrition. The analysis identifies where antenatal care-based distribution of iron-folic acid falters in each country, enabling policymakers to design and prioritize follow-up activities to more precisely identify barriers, an essential next step to improving iron-folic acid distribution through antenatal care.
Diet Assessment Tool
MICS includes questions for calculating specific infant and young child feeding indicators, such as the minimum dietary diversity (MDD) for children. MICS data is available for users to download/analyze after registering on the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) MICS website as a data user.
Diet Assessment Tool
The updated DHS-8 includes questions to calculate dietary diversity indicators, such as the minimum dietary diversity (MDD) for children, and minimum dietary diversity for women (MDD-W). The user may use DHS data that is available for download and analysis upon request. Users may also use DHS STAT Compiler to calculate specific indicators.
Diet Assessment Tool
Users can embed the questions into an existing survey. Use the questions to calculate the minimum dietary diversity (MDD) indicator, which assesses dietary diversity among children 6–23 months of age.