Structure of the standardized computerized 24-h diet recall interview usedas reference method in the 22 centers participating in the EPIC project

A computerized 24-h diet recall interview program (EPIC-SOFT) was developed for use in a large European multi-center study, namely the European Prospe ctive Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). This program, which w as adapted for each participating country and translated into nine language s, was developed to standardize interviews between the 22 EPIC centers. Com mon rules were pre-entered into the system to describe, quantify and probe similar to 1500-2200 foods and 150-350 recipes. Common methods used to clas sify and export the EPIC-SOFT dietary data facilitate their exchange, compa rison and analysis. So far, EPIC-SOFT is the only available computerized 24 -h diet recall system developed to provide comparable food consumption data between several European countries. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.