334 risk u( r1 1111tritimrnl clcfic. :lcncy and therefore arc also important 1:1<. ljunctx to the more t Jirccl 111clhod H. Indirect methods Ecologlcal Informr1ti on regarding existing health statistics in the communi ty, socio-economic foclors, rmd cultural factors and environmental conditio ns give information which can help in the. assessment of Lhe nutritional status as these woul<l dfrcclly or indirectly influence an individual' s health and nutrition. The prevailing con<litions in the enviro11mc11t aid in assessing the risks that the population are exposed to and which can contribu te to the health and nutritional status. Dietary Methods Food consumption surveys examine dietary intake of individual s, a group or. 11 population. Data obtained from surveys can be used to provide bases for measures aimed at improving the dietary practices which can then help in the improvement of the nutritiona. l status of affected people. The basic tools used in dietary assessmenl include: the dietary method, the food composition tab1eand the recommended nutrient intakes. There a. re three revels where dietary evaluation can be done: at the population level, household level and individual method. A. Population leuel-the most commonly used method at the population is level is the Food Balance Sheet which provides information on the amount of food available for consumption oftbe whole country. rt does not give information about djfferences in food consumption patterns between groups in the population. B. Household l<!Vel-tbrough a food inventory or food list, foods consume d by the family is obtained but does not take into account food bought and eaten outside the home. C. Indiuidual level-information on individual intake is obtained either quantitative ly by reca U or record using actual weight measurement of foods, estimates in household measures o-r qualitatively by dietary history and food frequency questionnaire (Gibson 1990). 1. Twenty-four hour n:call method In this method, tlie respondent is asked by a nutritionist to recall all foods and drink consumed during the past twenty-four hour. Details of food and beverages including coolcing methods, brands (for processed foods) and estimate s ofamounts in household measure s are recorded.. Intake of vi tam in or mineral supplements should also be noted. To help respondents in estimating amounts or portion sizes, the interviewer may use memory aids like cups, spoons, ruler or food models if available. All information should be recorded in a form. The data is then processed by convertin g the household measures to weights and then analyzed for nutrient content using the software oftbe Food Composition Table for use in the Philippine s (FNRI 1997). Pe1·cent nutrient adequacy is calculated by comparing nutrient intake with the recommended intake for the particular nutrient (RENI 2002). To estimate the average food intake repeated twenty-four hour recalls can be done. 