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. 2022 Jul 21;14(14):2987.
doi: 10.3390/nu14142987.

Global Trends in the Availability of Dietary Data in Low and Middle-Income Countries

Victoria Padula de Quadros  1 , Agnieszka Balcerzak  1 , Pauline Allemand  1 , Rita Ferreira de Sousa  1 , Teresa Bevere  1 , Joanne Arsenault  2 , Megan Deitchler  2 , Bridget Anna Holmes  1
Affiliations

Global Trends in the Availability of Dietary Data in Low and Middle-Income Countries

Victoria Padula de Quadros et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Individual-level quantitative dietary data can provide suitably disaggregated information to identify the needs of all population sub-groups, which can in turn inform agricultural, nutrition, food safety, and environmental policies and programs. The purpose of this discussion paper is to provide an overview of dietary surveys conducted in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) from 1980 to 2019, analyzing their key characteristics to understand the trends in dietary data collection across time. The present study analyzes the information gathered by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations/World Health Organization Global Individual Food consumption data Tool (FAO/WHO GIFT). FAO/WHO GIFT is a growing repository of individual-level dietary data and contains information about dietary surveys from around the world, collected through published survey results, literature reviews, and direct contact with data owners. The analysis indicates an important increase in the number of dietary surveys conducted in LMICs in the past four decades and a notable increase in the number of national dietary surveys. It is hoped that this trend continues, together with associated efforts to validate and standardize the dietary methods used. The regular implementation of dietary surveys in LMICs is key to support evidence-based policies for improved nutrition.

Keywords: 24 h recall; dietary assessment; dietary data; dietary intake; dissemination; food consumption.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Number of LMICs with dietary surveys conducted during 1980–2019 by geographical region according to the FAO/WHO GIFT inventory of surveys. Data shown reflect the situation as of May 2022. Geographic regions are defined according to the FAO operational classification. Only LMICs are included for all regions, including Europe and Central Asia.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Number of surveys conducted in the period during 1980–2019 per LMIC in different geographical regions. Data shown reflect the situation as of May 2022. Geographic regions are defined according to the FAO operational classification. Only LMICs are included for all regions, including Europe and Central Asia.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Number of dietary surveys conducted in LMICs from 1980 to 2019 in which different population groups were sampled. * Women older than 50 years were not considered in the older adults’ category if the survey design aimed at specifically sampling women of reproductive age. Data shown reflect the situation as of May 2022.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Number of dietary surveys conducted in LMICs during 1980–2019 by decade and geographical region, excluding longitudinal surveys. Data shown reflect the situation as of May 2022. Geographic regions are defined according to the FAO operational classification. Only LMICs are included for all regions, including Europe and Central Asia.
Figure 5
Figure 5
(a) Number of national and sub-national dietary surveys conducted in LMICs from 1980 to 2019 by decade, excluding longitudinal surveys. (b) Number of dietary surveys conducted in LMICs from 1980 to 2019 covering rural, urban, and rural and urban areas by decade, excluding longitudinal surveys. Data shown reflect the situation as of May 2022.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Number of national and sub-national dietary surveys conducted in LMICs from 1980 to 2019 by decade and geographical region, excluding longitudinal surveys. Data shown reflect the situation as of May 2022. Geographic regions are defined according to the FAO operational classification. Only LMICs are included for all regions, including Europe and Central Asia.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Number of national and sub-national dietary surveys conducted in LMICs from 1980 to 2019 by decade and by country income level, excluding longitudinal surveys. Country income groups reflect the World Bank classification for 2021. Data shown reflect the situation as of May 2022. LIC = low-income countries; LMC = lower-middle-income countries; UMC = upper-middle-income countries.
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