Dietary Data Collection in What We Eat in America, NHANES

The goal of a 24-hour dietary recall is to elicit all foods and beverages, plus the amounts eaten by an individual during the previous day. At its face value, this goal seems easy to attain. However, considering the depth and diversity of the food supply in the United States, combined with an individual's awareness of and ability to remember specific foods and amounts they select and eat, this goal presents many challenges. The US Department of Agriculture's Automated Multiple-Pass Method (AMPM) is used for collecting 24-hour dietary recalls in What We Eat in America, the dietary interview component of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The AMPM, designed with guiding principles to enhance accuracy and reduce respondent burden, includes multiple recall strategies and memory cues within its structure of 5 steps that progress in logical order. More than 25,000 possible standardized questions and response options are available and each response option is programmed to be followed by the next appropriate question. This large number of questions and responses are necessary to encompass the enormity and diversity of foods available in the U.S. In addition to the foods and amounts reported by individuals, other data captured by the AMPM includes: time it was consumed, name of eating occasion, where the food was obtained, if it was consumed at home, and salt use at the table. The AMPM will be described within the context of its use in NHANES.