US Department of Health and Human Services—US Department of Agriculture survey integration activities

The National Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research Act of 1990 provided the impetus for a coordinated effort to collect and report nutrition and health status data, and stimulate research to develop uniform methodologies, technologies, and procedures for national nutrition monitoring. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) developed a joint plan to integrate the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and the Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (CSFII) in 2000. Through the efforts of both agencies, and the feedback of customers and stakeholders, the vision of an integrated national survey became reality in January 2002. tegrated survey is comprised of the NHANES interviewed and examined samples. In addition to household interview data, the NHANES 2002 examined sample data set includes body measures, nutritional biochemistry and hematology data, clinical findings, a dental examination, and two 24-h dietary recalls on all examined persons. The new USDA Multiple-Pass software dietary interview and processing system software was introduced in NHANES 2002. This interview system is used to collect in-person baseline dietary recalls and telephone-mode second day dietary recalls. All NHANES dietary recall data are processed by USDA using SurveyNet software. USDA and DHHS staffs are committed to providing data users with timely data products including selected annual tabular data and biannual public release CD-ROM products to be called What We Eat in America from NHANES.