Dietary surveillance in Ireland: building the evidence base for public health

1
Dietary surveillance in Ireland building the
evidence base for public health

• Albert Flynn
• University College Cork
• Ireland
• Launch of SLÁN 2007, University College, Cork,
  25th November, 2008

2
Diet, lifestyle and health the evidence base

• policies and programmes should be evidence-based
• diet and lifestyle
• relationship to health
• surveillance
• effectiveness of programmes for change

3
SLÁN

• overweight, (central) obesity adults
• self reported vs measured
• trends
• nutrient intakes
• relative intake of nutrients ( energy)
• diet behaviours
• food patterns (pyramid)
• lifestyle behaviours

4
IUNA Surveys (www.iuna.net)

• NSIFCS - North South Ireland Food Consumption
  Survey of Adults (1997-99)
• N 1379, 18-64 yr old
• NCFS - National Childrens Food Survey (2003-04)
• N 594, 5-12 yr old
• NTFS - National Teens Food Survey (2005-06)
• N 441, 13-17 yr old
• Surveys designed for Food Safety Nutrition
• Funding DAF/FSAI/industry
• IUNA UCC, UCD, TCD, UU

5
IUNA Surveys - plans

• National Adults Food Survey (2008 - 9) N 1500,
  18 yr old
• National Pre-school Childrens Food Survey (2010
  -11 ) N 400, 1-4 yr old

6
Food Health Research Initiative

• FHRI - 25M DAF/HRB, 2008-2012
• National Research Centre for Diet, Obesity and
  Diabetes (UCC/UCD/ Agencies)
• National food consumption databases for food
  safety and nutrition (UCC/UCD/UU/AFRC)
• National Nutritional Phenotype Database
  (UCD/TCD/UU/UCC)
• Safe and Healthy foods (TeagascAFRC/MRC/CIT/UCD/UC
  C/QUB/UU/ AFBI Belfast)
• Gut microbiota as an indicator and agent of
  nutritional health in elderly Irish subjects
  (UCC/Teagasc MRC)

7
IUNA surveys applications - Food Safety

• Intake assessment
• additives (FSAI, DOHC, EC)
• pesticides (DAF, FSAI)
• residues in meat (Teagasc AFRC)
• packaging materials (EFSA, EC)
• shellfish biotoxins (FSAI)
• energy drinks (SafeFood )
• pathogenic microorganisms (Teagasc, FSAI)
• vitamins minerals (EFSA, EC)

8
IUNA surveys applications - Nutrition

• Nutrition and Public Health Policy
• Obesity (National Obesity Task
  Force/DOHC/SafeFood/HSE)
• Folic acid fortification of flour/bread (FSAI,
  DOHC)
• Fruit vegetables (DOHC)
• Food based dietary guidelines (SafeFood/FSAI/DOHC
  )
• Salt intakes - food sources (FSAI)
• Fortification of foods/food supplements
  (EFSA/EC)
• Industry
• product development/promotion

9
Conclusions

• surveillance of diet and lifestyle
• key part of evidence-base for public health
  policies and programmes
• SLÁN
• important new surveillance data to underpin
  further development of public health policies and
  programmes related to diet and lifestyle