National Diet and Nutrition Survey : People Aged 65 Years and Over, 1994-1995

<p>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.)</p><p>The programme is funded by Public Health England (PHE), an executive agency of the Department of Health, and the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA).</p><p>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).</p><p>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. </p><div>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 <a title="Eatwell Guide" href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-eatwell-guide" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Eatwell Guide</a>. The NDNS RP provides an important source of evidence underpinning the <a title="Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition" href="https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/scientific-advisory-committee-on-nutrition" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition</a> (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.</div><div><br></div><p>Further information is available from the gov.uk <a title="National Diet and Nutrition Survey" href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-diet-and-nutrition-survey">National Diet and Nutrition Survey</a> webpage.</p><p><br></p> The survey of people aged 65 years and over was the third of four surveys in this programme. The main aim of the survey was to provide detailed quantitative information on the food and nutrient intakes of the population and to describe the characteristics of individuals with intakes of specific nutrients which were above or below the national average. In addition to collecting information about diet, background information was collected about the characteristics of individuals, to measure blood and urine indices to give evidence of nutritional status, to provide height, weight and other body size measurements which could be related to the social and dietary data and to assess physical activity levels. Information was collected about both the free-living elderly population and those who lived in institutions. The survey aims were achieved by carrying out a series of data collection processes with elderly individuals including a face-to-face interview, a four-day food diary, physical measurements and samples of blood and urine. <br>
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The aim of the oral health component of the survey was to provide accurate information on the condition and the function of the tissues in the mouths of a national sample of subjects aged 65 and over in relation to their dietary and nutrition status. The four specific objectives were:<ul><li>to establish the dental and oral health status of the sample including the condition of natural teeth and dentures along with the ability to chew and swallow - this was to give a nationally representative picture of the oral health status and level of function of older adults in Great Britain</li><li>to identify any relationships between patterns of clinical dental and oral disease and general health, including illness, disability, or medication usage - this was to address specifically the relationship between the oral condition and dietary intakes and nutritional status</li><li>to assess the impact of nutritional status, dietary intake and age on dental and oral diseases and conditions, such as dental caries of the crowns and roots of the teeth, and wear of the natural teeth</li><li>to assess the degree to which the condition of an individual's mouth influences the quality of daily life and their utilization of and satisfaction with dental care - this was to include the perceived need for dental treatment</li></ul>The oral health data were added to the dataset and the documentation updated accordingly for the second edition of this study, in November 2001.<br>