GAPS IN DIETARY-SURVEY METHODOLOGY IN EASTERN-EUROPE

The purpose of this paper is to summarize some methodological problems with nutrition surveys in Eastern European countries. A brief review of the literature was conducted and a questionnaire was sent to a samp le of researchers regarding dietary assessment methods used, technical aspects of data collection, and data analysis. The findings suggest t hat despite considerable work and effort devoted to nutrition surveys, little information exists on current food and nutrient consumption by individuals, either from total population studies or from studies of subgroups within the population. Furthermore, there is a lack of unifo rmity in calculating nutritive values of consumed foods with respect t o quantification of amounts, accounting for differences in food-prepar ation methods and percentage of losses in recipes. These findings indi cate a need for standardization, both within and between countries, fo r all types of dietary assessment methods.