Peer-reviewed article
Design and methodology of a continuous national dietary and nutrition survey in France: the Nutrimetry study.
Sauvage E, Lecerf JM, Dupuis V, Berthier C, Hébel P ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001The Nutrimetry study describes a new continuous national dietary and nutrition monitoring system in France that tracks food consumption and nutritional status in adults and children. The survey collected 3-day dietary records from over 3,200 participants aged 3-79 years using online methods and standardized food disaggregation processes. Children had a higher participation rate (45.2%) than adults (7%), and the study found that about one-third of adults and one-fifth of children under-reported their energy intake. The system is designed to provide regular, timely data for public health policy and identifying nutritional risks in the population.
Key points
- The Nutrimetry survey included 1,008 children (3-17 years) and 2,193 adults (18-79 years) with weighted quotas for age, sex, region, and socioeconomic status
- Mean energy intake was 1,693 kcal/d in children and 1,852 kcal/d in adults
- Energy under-reporting was identified in 22.6% of children and 33.8% of adults, with higher rates in younger age groups and those with higher BMI
- Data collection used 3-day online dietary records with standardized recipe optimization to disaggregate complex foods into raw ingredients
- The survey achieved 45.2% participation rate among eligible children but only 7% among adult starters, indicating recruitment challenges with online methods
Limitations
This is a methodological paper describing survey design and does not evaluate outcomes of nutritional interventions or show whether the data leads to improved child health. The low adult participation rate (7%) may limit the representativeness of adult findings, though child participation was higher.
Abstract
Objective Assessing dietary intake and nutritional status requires contemporary data. This paper describes the design of the Nutrimetry survey, a new continuous monitoring system in France, its participation rate, and the quality of its dietary data. Design A representative sample of adults (18-79 years) and children (3-17 years) was selected using a non-probability quota sampling design. Quotas included age, sex, region, urban unit size, and socio-professional category, weighted against 2021 census data. Setting Food consumption was collected via a 3-day online dietary record. Information on physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sociodemographic was gathered by questionnaires. Complex foods were disaggregated into raw ingredients using a standardized recipe optimization process. Participants In total, 3,201 individuals (2,193 adults and 1,008 children) were included in 2024 results. Results The final sample represented 7% of adult starters and 45.2% of eligible children. Mean energy intake was 1,852 kcal/d in adults and 1,693 kcal/d in children. The prevalence of energy under-reporting was 33.8% for adults and 22.6% for children. Under-reporting was significantly associated with higher BMI and younger age groups. Conclusion The Nutrimetry survey provides a robust, scalable framework for continuous national dietary surveillance in France. Despite challenges with online recruitment attrition, it generates timely data for public health policy and nutritional risk assessment.