National Nutrition Surveillance Centre
UCD School of Public Health and Population Science
Scoil na Sláinte Poiblí agus Eolaíocht an Daonra UCD
National Nutrition Surveillance Centre
The National Nutrition Surveillance Centre was originally established in 1992 in the National University of Ireland, Galway with grant support from the Department of Health and Children. The Centre moved to University College Dublin in 2003 where it is affiliated with the School of Public Health and Population Science. There is an advisory board to oversee the running of the Centre with external membership from the Health Promotion Unit of the Department of Health and Children. The Centre is required by the Department of Health and Children to provide an independent source of information and advice and has the responsibility for collection and collation of available data relating to nutrition and health.
Food and/or nutrition surveillance is based on the use of routinely collected or easily generated data from several sectors related to nutrition and health. These include:
Food Supply/Production/Retail
Food Consumption Data
Nutritional Knowledge, Attitudes and Beliefs
Information on Effective Nutrition Programmes
Socio-Economic Indicators related to Health
Nutrition related health status indicators
Food Economics
Aims of the centre:
To provide accurate, reliable and timely information in an accessible form at short notice
To monitor trends in health status correlated with all aspects of the food chain and advise on these findings for health planners
To provide a source of information and research expertise, particularly in nutritional epidemiology and surveillance methodology to those wishing to mount specific projects such as micro-surveys.
The work of the centre involves:
Continual updating of information on food production, supply, retail, consumption, health impact and socio-cultural impact.
Response to information requests on nutrition-related topics from the media, health services, statutory and voluntary bodies.
Information dissemination – periodic reports are published. These reports have been widely disseminated among Health Board personnel, food agencies, producers, retailers, caterers, academics, teachers and the media.
Instigation of Food and Nutrition studies.
Advisory Role to the Department of Health and Children in relation to their health education and promotion campaigns.
Slán Survey:
This national survey involves collecting health, nutritional and lifestyle information from people of all walks of life in Ireland in collaboration with the Centre for Health Promotion Studies. The data is intended to inform health policy and health promotion planning.
Household Budget Survey (DAFNE):
A Pan-European collaboration involving twelve countries which aims to develop a standardized database of individual food consumption utilizing the Household Budget survey data of each country.
Reports and Publications:
The Centre has published a number of reports including:
Nutritional Surveillance in Ireland (1993)
Health Status of the Irish Population (1994)
Changes in the Food Chain since the time of the Great Irish Famine (1995)
Review of a Framework for Action (1995)
Dietary Habits of the Irish Population: Results from Slán (1999 and 2004).
Report from the National Task Force on Obesity (2005)
Publications:
Publications of original research have been completed and published:
Friel S, Newell J, Kelleher C. Who eats four or more servings of fruit and vegetables per day? Multivariate classification tree analysis of data from the 1998 Survey of Lifestyle, Attitudes and Nutrition in the Republic of Ireland. Public Health Nutr. 2005 Apr;8(2):159-69. PMID: 15877909 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Friel S, Kelleher CC, Nolan G, Harrington J. Social diversity of Irish adults nutritional intake. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2003 Jul;57(7):865-75. PMID: 12821886 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Kelleher C, Friel S, Nolan G, Forbes B. Effect of social variation on the Irish diet. Proc Nutr Soc. 2002 Nov;61(4):527-36. PMID: 12691182 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Gabhainn SN, Nolan G, Kelleher C, Friel S. Dieting patterns and related lifestyles of school-aged children in the Republic of Ireland. Public Health Nutr. 2002 Jun;5(3):457-62. PMID: 12003658 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Ip V, Crowley D, Nolan G, Kelleher C (2004). Dietary habits of Pregnant Women in Ireland: The Lifeways Cross-Generation Cohort Study. [Presentation to Faculty Public Health Medicine Scientific Meeting 2004].
Murrin CM, Bury G, Daly G, Fallon U, Hannon F, Loftus BG, Morrison J, Murphy A, Nolan G, O’Mahony D, Kelleher CC (2004). Alcohol consumption in pregnant Irish women. Proceedings Nutrition Society, (in Press)
Fallon U, Bury G, Daly S, Hannon F, Loftus BG, Morrison J, Murphy A, Murrin CM, Nolan G, O’Mahony D, Kelleher CC (2004). Planned Pregnancy is No Guarantee of Folic Acid Compliance. Proceedings of Nutrition Society (in press).
Murrin C, Seconds-Pichon A, Kelleher CC, Hannon F, O’Mahony D, Crowley D, Nolan Ip and G, Nolan A, Murphy S, Daly S, Morrison J, Bury G, Loftus BG (2004). Predictors of Body Mass Index and Dietary Compliance in Pregnant Irish Women: The Lifeways Cross-Generation Cohort Study in the Republic of Ireland. Conference of Epidemiological Longitudinal Studies in Europe, Bristol September 2004.
Murrin, C.M., Shiely, F., Friel, S., Nolan, G. & Kelleher, C.C. (2004) The influence of lifestyle factors on obesity in an Irish adult sample. Proc Nutr Soc. 2004 Autumn; 63:106A. PMID: 15868657 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Shiely, F., Murrin, C.M., Friel, S., Nolan, G. & Kelleher, C.C. Household activity is a significant component of physical activity estimation in the Irish population. Proc Nutr Soc. 2004 Autumn; 63:113A. PMID: 15868657 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Kelleher, C.C., Murrin, C.M., Friel, S. & Nolan, G. Trends in nutrient intake in the Irish population between 1998 and 2002.Proc Nutr Soc. 2004 Autumn; 63:136A. PMID: 15868657 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Nolan, G., Murrin, C.M., Shiely, F., Corrigan, H., NicGabhainn, S., Friel, S. & Kelleher, C.C. Consumption patterns of junk foods in young Irish people in relation to body mass index.Proc Nutr Soc. 2004 Autumn; 63:137A. PMID: 15868657 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Hayes, K., Shiely, F., Murrin, C.M., Nolan, G. & Kelleher, C.C. A comparison of self-reported and clinically measured body mass index in Irish adults.Proc Nutr Soc. 2004 Autumn; 63:137A. PMID: 15868657 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Reid, V., Magoche, N., Fitzpatrick, P., Murrin, C. & Kelleher, C.C. Fruit intake of hospital staff – how does it compare with national data? Proc Nutr Soc. 2004 Autumn; 63:124A. PMID: 15868657 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Lagiou P, Trichopoulou, A, Henderickx HK, Kelleher C, Leonhauser IU, Moreiras O, Nelson M, Schmitt, A, Sekula W, Tryqq k, Zajkas G for the DAFNE I and II projects of the European Commission (1999) Household Budget survey nutritional data in relation to mortality from coronary heart disease, colorectal cancer and female breast cancer in European countries. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition; 53, 328-332.
Conferences:
The Centre hosted the 1995 Nutrition Society Irish Section Conference entitled Nutritional Assessment and Surveillance: Implications for Food Policy.
Staff:
Professor Cecily Kelleher, Head of UCD School of Public Health and Population Sciences
Tel: +353 1 716 5552
Email: cecily.kelleher@ucd.ie
Celine Murrin BSc MSc Dip Health Promotion
Email: celine.murrin@ucd.ie
Geraldine Nolan BSc Dip. Nutrition & Dietetics MSc
Email: geraldine.nolan@nuig.ie
UCD, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland. Tel : +353 1 716 7777