Diet and Nutrition Survey of Infants and Young Children in Scotland, 2011

Introduction

The Scottish Government and the Food Standards Agency in Scotland (FSAS) funded a boost to the Department of Health (DH) and Food Standards Agency (FSA) commissioned Diet and Nutrition Survey of Infants and Young Children (DNSIYC)^[1]. This report, the Diet and Nutrition Survey of Infants and Young Children in Scotland (DNSIYCS) provides the only source of high quality nationally representative detailed information on food consumption and nutrient intakes of infants and young children aged 4 up to 18 months^[2] living in private households in Scotland. It will contribute to a robust evidence base for work in Scotland to develop and implement sound public health policies and food safety assessments. Results from this and other surveys carried out in Scotland will be invaluable in informing the progress of the Maternal and Infant Nutrition Framework for Action^[3], which was launched in January 2011. This framework for action can be taken by NHS Boards, local authorities and others to improve the nutrition of pregnant women, babies and young children.

The survey was carried out by a consortium of organisations: Medical Research Council Human Nutrition Research (MRC HNR), NatCen Social Research (NatCen), the MRC Epidemiology Unit and the Human Nutrition Research Centre at Newcastle University. Fieldwork was carried out between January and May 2011. Additional recruitment was undertaken among those in receipt of Healthy Start (HS)^[4] vouchers in order to provide more detailed analysis of these populations.