An Improved Statistical Method to Estimate Usual Intake Distribution of Nutrients by Age Group

Abstract

The distribution of usual intake of nutrients in a given population is one of the major concerns in public health nutrition, and is used to assess and prevent nutritional problems. The distribution of usual intake cannot be measured directly, but can be estimated from a dietary survey that spans multiple days. The prevalence of nutritionally high-risk people, defined as the proportion of a population that does not achieve the dietary reference intake, can be estimated from the distribution of usual intake in the population. Although several methods have been proposed, there is no universally accepted method for estimating the distribution and prevalence of nutritionally high-risk people. In this study, we improved an existing method and used simulation studies to compare the performance of the new method, with that of 2 previously proposed methods. Our proposed method outperformed them, particularly in a realistic situation, and with a small sample size, providing a more accurate and precise estimate of the prevalence of nutritionally high-risk people.