ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with some of the methods used by nutritionists and dieticians to assess and monitor the nutritional status and nutritional well-being of individuals and populations. These methods range from the high-precision methods of the analytical chemist (e.g. in determining the composition of foods) to the inevitably much less precise methods used in the social and behavioural sciences (e.g. the use of questionnaires to assess physical activity levels or to qualitatively categorize individuals according to their intake of particular foods or nutrients). All of these approaches have their role to play and the full range of these methods is necessary to study all of the different aspects of nutrition.
