Danish pre-coded food diary

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Dietary assessment

Estimated food diary

10th May 2022

Daniel Ibsen, MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine

A dietary assessment instrument used for adults in the Danish National Survey of Diet and Physical Activity. Since 1995, dietary intakes among a representative sample of Danish adults have been assessed using food diaries. Participants report their intake as well as answered predefined and open-ended questions for 7 consecutive days. Serving sizes are estimated using household measures such as glasses, cups, and plates, with aid of a series of pictures. A food diary is "pre-coded", listing commonly consumed dietary items in the order of usual Danish dietary meal patterns, including main meals and snacks. In 2011-2013, 465 foods were pre-coded. In the 2020-2021 web-based version pre-coded up to 1700 foods. The validity of the instrument has been assessed three times since 2000. Overall, the results show that the instrument performs well for ranking participants in terms of intake of foods and nutrients and that total energy intake is underestimated by about 12%.