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Improving national data to analyze food and nutrition policies
Author(s) -
Guthrie Joanne F,
Denbaly Mark
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.21.5.a53
Subject(s) - agriculture , business , service (business) , data collection , nutrition facts label , marketing , environmental health , medicine , geography , archaeology , statistics , mathematics
Timely, accurate, comprehensive data are needed to support policy‐relevant research on food and nutrition issues. The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA)'s Economic Research Service (ERS) asked the Committee on National Statistics, National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to review data needs to support USDA food and nutrition policy research, assess the adequacy of the current data infrastructure, and recommend improvements. Here, we summarize the findings of the NAS report and describe how the ERS Consumer Data Initiative is responding to its recommendations. ERS efforts are designed to be cost‐effective and add minimal burden to current Federal data collection activities. Major strategies include (a) adding important questions to existing surveys, as for example, adding consumer behavior questions to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey; (b) expanding use of private sector data, such as A.C.Nielsen HomeScan food purchase data; and (c) enhancing the value of existing survey data through linkage with administrative data on Federal programs. Based on NAS recommendation, a high‐level interagency group is working to further these activities. Opportunities for policy‐oriented nutrition researchers to benefit from enhanced data will be described. Source of funding: Economic Research Service.