Methods used in dietary survey of civilians in Ecuador.

Resumen

Dietary studies constitute an essential part of any complete nutrition survey. Populations which for extensive periods subsist on dietary intakes marginal in protective nutrients may fail to reveal any recognized specific nutritional deficiency lesions, and, at the same time, have a relatively low life expectancy, lowered physical and mental health, increased disease rates, and other manifestations of ill health. Under such conditions, where clinical observations are insensitive for detecting basic nutritional problems, nutrient intake studies are essential. Reliable infonnation concerning food and nutrient intakes in civilian populations is generally more difficult to obtain during a short period of time than in institutional or military feeding situations. Since small family units rather than large mess units are involved, a much longer survey period is needed to obtain reliable data oin a comparable number of people, if the same methods and procedures are employed. The fact that different members of the family (adults, children, infants, and pregnant o,r lactating women) have different nutrient requirements is still another difficulty. It has been necessary in such studies, therefore, either to obtain good information on a few individuals or to adopt less accurate procedures which give some information about a large number of people in a short period of time. Very little information exists concerning the relative reliability of these different approaches. Such comparisons were made during the Interdepartmental Committee on Nutrition for National Defense (ICNND) survey of the nutritional status of the armed forces and civilians in Ecuador during the summer of 1959 (1). Data on civilians were obtained by a relatively small number of team personnel, using three different dietary survey methods, each based on the family unit and designed to give nutrient intake data. Military messes were surveyed by two methods.