Survey of people’s eating habits in the UK
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN17261407 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN17261407 |
| ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT) | Nil known |
| Clinical Trials Information System (CTIS) | Nil known |
| Protocol serial number | NDNS RP Main Protocol |
| Sponsor | National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) |
| Funder | Public Health England |
- Submission date
- 08/08/2017
- Registration date
- 31/08/2017
- Last edited
- 28/01/2020
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Nutritional, Metabolic, Endocrine
Plain English summary of protocol
Current plain English summary as of 28/01/2020:
Background and study aims
Nutrition is an important public health issue because of its role in obesity and many diet-related diseases. The National Diet and Nutrition Survey Rolling Programme (NDNS-RP) asks a sample of people across the UK to record their food and drink intake for four days. This is used by the UK government to look at the types and quantities of foods people eat and the nutrients they take in. Anonymised data are also put onto the UK Data Service for use by researchers. NDNS has been carried out continuously since 2008 and the data help the government understand how the nation's diet is changing and make decisions that improve public health and protect food safety.
Who can participate?
Participants are randomly selected from private households in the UK.
What does the study involve?
The study is carried out in the participant’s home and comprises two stages. For stage one, individuals are asked by a trained interviewer about their eating habits, health and physical activity levels and have their height and weight measured. They are also asked to provide a urine sample to test for iodine status. Participants are asked to record their food and drink intake for four days.
Stage two involves a visit a by a qualified nurse visits to measure their waist and hip circumference and take a blood sample to test for many nutrients including iron, vitamin D and cholesterol. For younger respondents other measures are undertaken, such as infant length and
waist:hip ratio.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Participants are offered personalised feedback on their diet based on the dietary information that they have provided. This is available after completing four days of dietary recording. They are also offered clinically relevant results from their blood sample which highlight whether they are in range and any abnormal findings.
Where is the study run from?
This study is being run by NatCen Social Research (NatCen) and the Cambridge NIHR BRC Innovation Programme for the measurement of diet, physical activity and nutrition (hosted at the Medical Research Council Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge) and takes place in private households in the UK.
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
March 2007 to December 2022
Who is funding the study?
Public Health England (PHE) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA)
Who is the main contact?
1. Mrs Polly Page (Scientific)
Polly.Page@mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk
2. Mrs Beverley Bates (Scientific)
Beverley.Bates@natcen.ac.uk
_____
Previous plain English summary:
Background and study aims
Nutrition is an important public health issue because of its role in obesity and many diet-related diseases. The National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) asks a sample of people across the UK to record what they have eaten. This is used by the UK government to look at the types of food people eat and the nutrients they take in. NDNS has been carried out every year since 2008 and this helps the government understand how the nation's diet is changing and make decisions that improve public health and protect food safety.
Who can participate?
Participants are randomly selected from private households in the UK.
What does the study involve?
The study has two stages all of which are carried out in the participant’s home. Individuals who take part in stage one do not have to take part in stage two. For stage one, individuals are asked by a trained interviewer about their eating habits, health and physical activity levels and have their height and weight measured. They are then asked to keep a food diary for four days and record everything they have to eat and drink in that period. They are also asked to provide a urine sample to test for iodine status. For stage two, a qualified nurse visits to measure their waist and hip circumference and take a blood sample to test for many nutrients including iron, vitamin D and cholesterol. All this takes place over two months.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Participants may benefit from receiving personalized feedback on their diet based on their food diary. They are also able to receive results from their blood sample which highlights any abnormal findings. There are no risks with participating.
Where is the study run from?
This study is being run by National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) (UK) and Medical Research Council Elsie Widdowson Laboratory (UK) and takes place in private households in the UK.
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
March 2007 to December 2018
Who is funding the study?
National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) (UK)
Who is the main contact?
1. Mrs Polly Page (Scientific)
Polly.Page@mrc-ewl.cam.ac.uk
2. Mrs Beverley Bates (Scientific)
Beverley.Bates@natcen.ac.uk
Contact information
Scientific
MRC Elsie Widdowson Laboratory
120 Fulbourn Road
Cambridge
CB1 9NL
United Kingdom
| Phone | +44 1223 426356 |
|---|---|
| Polly.Page@mrc-ewl.cam.ac.uk |
Scientific
NatCen Centre for Social Research
35 Northampton Square
London
EC1V 0AX
United Kingdom
| Phone | +44 20 7250 1866 |
|---|---|
| Beverley.Bates@natcen.ac.uk |
Study information
| Primary study design | Observational |
|---|---|
| Study design | Observational cross-sectional study using complex survey design and probability sampling model with a continuous UK-wide fieldwork model designed to be nationally representative on an annual basis |
| Secondary study design | Cross sectional study |
| Study type | Participant information sheet |
| Scientific title | National Diet and Nutrition Survey Rolling Programme 2008/09 - 2017/18 (Years 1-10) |
| Study acronym | NDNS RP |
| Study objectives | Current study hypothesis as of 28/01/2020: The purpose of the survey is to provide data to enable monitoring of the diet and nutritional well-being of the UK population to provide the evidence base for developing Government policy. Specifically, the NDNS dataset must allow Public Health England (PHE; an executive agency of Department of Health) and the Food Standards Agency to: 1. Measure progress towards dietary recommendations 2. Monitor trends in food consumption, nutrient intake and nutritional status in different population age groups 3. Describe the characteristics of those with intakes and/or status of specific nutrients that are above or below the national average 4. Assess the extent to which the diet of the population as a whole and sub-groups deviates from that recommended by independent experts 5. Calculate likely exposure to natural toxicants, contaminants, additives and other food chemicals for risk assessment _____ Previous study hypothesis: The purpose of the survey is to provide data to enable monitoring of the diet and nutritional well-being of the UK population to provide the evidence base for developing Government policy. Specifically, the NDNS dataset must allow Public Health England (PHE; previously Department of Health) and the Food Standards Agency to: 1. Measure progress towards dietary recommendations 2. Monitor trends in food consumption, nutrient intake and nutritional status in different population age groups 3. Describe the characteristics of those with intakes and/or status of specific nutrients that are above or below the national average 4. Assess the extent to which the diet of the population as a whole and sub-groups deviates from that recommended by independent experts 5. Calculate likely exposure to natural toxicants, contaminants, additives and other food chemicals for risk assessment |
| Ethics approval(s) | Years 1-5 - Oxford A REC, 30/03/2007, ref: 07/H0604/113 Years 6-10 - Cambridge South REC, 19/03/2013, ref: 13/EE/0016 (amended to include Years 11-14) (added 28/01/2020) |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Diet and nutritional well-being of the UK population |
| Intervention | Current interventions as of 28/01/2020: The study is carried out in the participant’s home and comprises two stages. For stage one, individuals are asked by a trained interviewer about their eating habits, health and physical activity levels and have their height and weight measured. They are also asked to provide a urine record their food and drink intake for four days (for Years 1-11 data was collected using an estimated paper diary and for Years 12 onwards using an online 24-hour recall) with the first day completed while the interviewer is in the house. Participants are then invited by text message or e-mail (according to their preference) to complete a further three recalls. Stage two involves a visit a by a qualified nurse visits to measure their waist and hip circumference and take a blood sample to test for many nutrients including iron, vitamin D and cholesterol. For younger respondents, other measures are undertaken, such as infant length and waist:hip ratio. _____ Previous interventions: The survey has two stages all of which are carried out in the participant’s home. Individuals who take part in stage one do not have to take part in stage two. For stage one, individuals are asked to do a face-to-face interview to collect information on general eating habits, physical activity and health and have their height and weight measured. Individuals are asked to keep an estimated (unweighed) food and drink diary for four days and provide a urine sample. For stage two, a nurse visits to carry out additional measures for waist and hip circumference and take a blood sample. Participation in both stages is over two months. |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure(s) |
Current primary outcome measure as of 28/01/2020: |
| Key secondary outcome measure(s) |
Current secondary outcome measures as of 28/01/2020: |
| Completion date | 31/12/2022 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Other |
|---|---|
| Age group | Mixed |
| Sex | All |
| Target sample size at registration | 1000 |
| Key inclusion criteria | The NDNS Rolling Programme includes participants of all ages from 1.5 years upwards free-living in private households in the UK. |
| Key exclusion criteria | 1. Infants and children aged under 18 months 2. Pregnant and lactating women 3. People living in institutions, e.g. children’s homes, prisons, residential homes for older people, hospitals 4. Homeless people and others with no fixed address |
| Date of first enrolment | 03/12/2007 |
| Date of final enrolment | 01/10/2022 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- United Kingdom
- England
Study participating centres
London
EC1V 0AX
United Kingdom
Level 3 Institute of Metabolic Science
Addenbrooke’s Treatment Centre
Cambridge Biomedical Campus
Cambridge
CB2 0SL
United Kingdom
Results and Publications
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | Yes |
|---|---|
| IPD sharing plan summary | Stored in repository |
| IPD sharing plan | Anonymised data from the interview, dietary data, physical measurements and blood and urine samples is made publicly available to registered users through the UK Data Service (https://www.ukdataservice.ac.uk/). Data are reported for combined survey years and are deposited on the archive around two to three years after each survey year has been completed. Participants are told in the information sheets that their data will be stored, made available to researchers and published but that they will not be identifiable. _____ Previous publication and dissemination plan: Data is available on the UK Data Archive. The next NDNS RP report will be for Years 7 and 8 and is due to be published 29/01/2018. 1. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-diet-and-nutrition-survey-results-from-years-1-to-4-combined-of-the-rolling-programme-for-2008-and-2009-to-2011-and-2012 2. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/assessment-of-dietary-sodium-levels-among-adults-aged-19-64-in-england-2011 3. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-diet-and-nutrition-survey-assessment-of-dietary-sodium-in-adults-in-england-2014 4. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/ndns-results-from-years-5-and-6-combined 5. http://www.foodstandards.gov.scot/publications-and-research/national-diet-and-nutrition-survey-rolling-programme-results-from-years-1-4 6. http://www.foodstandards.gov.scot/publications-and-research/national-diet-and-nutrition-survey-assessment-of-dietary-sodium 7. https://www.food.gov.uk/northern-ireland/researchni/ndns-ni 8. https://www.food.gov.uk/northern-ireland/nutritionni/national-diet-and-nutrition-survey-assessment-of-dietary-sodium 9. http://gov.wales/statistics-and-research/national-diet-nutrition-survey-rolling-programme/?lang=en IPD sharing statement: Anonymised data from the interview, food diary, physical measurements and blood and urine samples is made publically available through the UK Data Archive (http://data-archive.ac.uk/). Access is through registration with the UK Data Archive. Data is reported for combined survey years and so is deposited on the archive around two to three years after each survey year has been completed. Participants are told in the information sheets that their data will be shared but that they will not be identifiable. No formal consent is obtained. |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results article | results | 01/06/2018 | Yes | No | |
| Funder report results | Updated reports (not peer reviewed) | 11/12/2020 | No | No | |
| HRA research summary | 28/06/2023 | No | No | ||
| Other publications | Updated reports (not peer reviewed) | 09/09/2016 | Yes | No | |
| Participant information sheet | Participant information sheet | 11/11/2025 | 11/11/2025 | No | Yes |
| Study website | Study website | 11/11/2025 | 11/11/2025 | No | Yes |
Editorial Notes
28/01/2020: The following changes were made to the trial record:
1. The hypothesis was changed.
2. The ethics approval was updated.
3. The overall end date was changed from 31/12/2018 to 31/12/2022.
4. The interventions were changed.
5. The primary outcome measure was changed.
6. The secondary outcome measures were changed.
7. The link to the participant information sheet was changed.
8. The recruitment end date was changed from 30/05/2018 to 01/10/2022.
9. The trial participating centre "Medical Research Council" was updated.
10. The plain English summary was changed.
11. The publication and dissemination plan was changed.
12. The intention to publish date was changed from 29/01/2018 to 31/12/2020.
13. Publication references added.
10/05/2018: Publication reference added.
25/09/2017: Please note that this study is recruiting but are not advertising for participants.
