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. 2023 May;153(5):1627-1635.
doi: 10.1016/j.tjnut.2023.02.030. Epub 2023 Mar 14.

A Decade of Dietary Assessment Methodology Research at the National Institutes of Health, 2012-2021

Mary E Evans  1 , Kirsten A Herrick  2 , Karen S Regan  3 , Marissa M Shams-White  2 , Ashley J Vargas  4 , Jill Reedy  2
Affiliations

A Decade of Dietary Assessment Methodology Research at the National Institutes of Health, 2012-2021

Mary E Evans et al. J Nutr. 2023 May.

Abstract

Background: Assessment of individual and population-level dietary intake is critical for public health surveillance, epidemiology, and dietary intervention research. In recognition of that need, the National Insitutes of Health (NIH) has a history of funding research projects designed to support the development, implementation, and refinement of tools to assess dietary intake in humans.

Objectives: This report provides data and information on NIH-funded dietary intake assessment methodological research over the period of 2012-2021.

Methods: Data were extracted from an internal NIH data system using the Research, Condition, and Disease Categorization (RCDC) spending category for Nutrition. Data were then examined to identify research focused on dietary assessment tools or methods to capture or analyze dietary intake.

Results: Over the decade of 2012-2021, NIH supported 46 grants and 2 large contracts specific to dietary assessment methods development. The top 6 Institutes and Offices funding dietary assessment methods research were identified. Most projects were limited to adults. Projects ranged from novel methods to capture dietary intake, and refinement of analytical methods, to biomarkers of dietary intake. One key contract supported the automated self-administered 24-h dietary assessment tool (ASA24), a widely used, free tool available to the research community for assessing dietary intake.

Conclusions: NIH's support for dietary assessment methods development over this 10-y period was small but grew over time with an expanding number and variety of methods, data sources, and technological advancements in the assessment of dietary intake. NIH remains committed to supporting research seeking to advance the field of dietary assessment methods research.

Keywords: dietary assessment research; dietary biomarker; dietary intake; dietary monitoring methods nutrient intake; food-specific biomarker.

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Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Percentage of all dietary assessment awards funded in fiscal years 2012–2021 by type of NIH Funding Opportunity Announcement (Panel A) and type of award by activity code (Panel B). Funding Opportunity Announcements include the following: Methods Program Announcements (PAs): PA-18-856 and PAR-18-857 (several renewals); Biomarker PAs PAR-18-727 (several renewals); Small Business Innovation Research Program Announcements; Parent PAs: NIH Parent Program Announcements or NIH Institute-Specific Program Announcements; Biomarker RFA: Biomarker Request for Application U2C or U24 awards submitted to RFA-DK-20-005 or RFA-DK-20-007; or Other: 1 Office of Dietary Supplements administrative supplement, 3 R03 applications, and 1 R00 application. The Office of Dietary Supplements does not have direct grant funding authority but may provide funding through administrative supplements to the Institute or Center managing the parent grant award. RFA, request for applications.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Percentage of all dietary assessment awards funded in fiscal years 2012–2021, by research focus area. Methods: development or refinement of methods/devices to capture dietary intake. Biomarkers: novel biomarker considered to reflect dietary intake (assessed via skin, urine, or blood). Statistical Analysis: analytical method (statistical methods or artificial intelligence/machine learning).
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Percentage of dietary assessment awards focused on biomarker development by fiscal year. Black bars: awards made to applications with a biomarker focus across all Program Announcements and Program Announcements with Special Review. Gray bars: applications submitted to the Biomarker Request for Applications: RFA-DK-20-005 and RFA-DK-20-007. No biomarker grant awards were funded in fiscal years 2012, 2013, and 2015.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Number of peer-reviewed publications that used the automated self-administered 24-h dietary assessment tool (ASA24) to collect data by calendar year.
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