Cross-continental national nutrition surveys: a narrative review

Abstract

Many countries use national nutrition surveys (NNSs) to assess their population’s health and nutrition needs. However, NNS aims, approaches, tools, and measurements vary among countries. To date, there has been no review evaluating the NNSs and their practices worldwide to help conduct future NSSs. Therefore, this narrative review was conducted to 1) explore and tabulate current NNSs in five continents (Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, and Australia) and 2) help lay the foundation for establishing clear guidelines for future NNSs. The NNSs were identified using two approaches. First, an electronic database search was conducted with key terms in PubMed database. Second, a general web-based search on the survey webpages of governmental organizations was conducted using the same key terms to identify eligible surveys. The review included general adult population (≥ 18 years) with a cross-sectional design, excluding NNSs related to household-only surveys, specific age groups, or insufficient sample sizes. A total of 41 NNSs were identified in 37 countries across four continents: Asia (n = 15), Europe (n = 21), North America (n = 3), and Australia (n = 2). Broad differences between the surveys were identified, including survey purposes and designs, definitions of geographic areas and target groups, and dietary assessments. Currently, there are 26 ongoing NNSs, while 15 have ended. Among the ongoing NNSs, the cycles of the surveys were either at regular intervals (n = 8) or irregular intervals (n = 8). Of the 41 surveys, 24-h dietary recalls were used in 27 surveys, while only 6 surveys used diet diaries and 8 surveys relied on FFQs. Some surveys (n = 17) utilized multiple tools to assess dietary intake. Most of the surveys that assessed biochemical status (n = 12) focused on blood glucose, haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and lipid status, whereas some surveys (n = 6) tested for vitamin and mineral status in blood and/or urine samples. The review identified key characteristics, time frames, sampling methods, and dietary and physical assessment methods obtained from different surveys worldwide. The information organized in this review will be important for researchers, policymakers, and public health programme developers in developing and improving NNS.