National Infant Diet and Health Study

This one off survey will reveal in detail what infants aged between 4 and eighteen months are eating and what their nutritional health is as a result.

The study has been commissioned by the Department of Health  and Food Standards Agency (FSA) and is being carried out by a consortium that includes NatCen, MRC Human Nutrition Research (HNR), Human Nutrition Research Centre at Newcastle University and MRC Epidemiology Unit in Cambridge. Read our Methods section below to find out more about how we are conducting this survey. Further information for participants can be found by visiting MRC Human Nutrition Research's (HNR) website.

Timeline

Potential policy impact

Data from the survey will be used in three ways: it'll be used to measure if Government recommendations about infant food and nutritional intake are being used; to measure whether parents are taking notice of the Government's advice on breastfeeding and weaning and finally; to underpin the Department of Health's work on promoting healthy diets and protecting consumer's rights.

Method

Our interviewers will be speaking to around 2300 parents of children aged between 4 and eighteen months, from across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The main elements of the study are:

general questions about breastfeeding, weaning, health and lifestyle

a food and drink diary

physical measurements for mothers (height and weight) and infants (length, weight and head circumference)

a clinic visit involving further measurements, plus urine and blood samples.

In collaboration with