Social and economic implications of nutrition surveys and other epidemiological evidence.

Introduction The surveys and other evidence which are drawn upon are part of the general scheme of surveillance of nutrition in Britain. Before 1968 this was by means of running indices (Berry & Hollingsworth, 1963), helped out by small-scale surveys and other work aimed to throw light on specific points. In 1968-1971, under the aegis of the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy, more detailed surveys were made of old people, pregnant women, pre-school children and schoolchildren of various ages, totalling about 4000-4500 people, the aim being to establish a baseline. In 1971 an expert Subcommittee on Nutritional Surveillance was set up to advise in the first place on what measures were needed to monitor the effects of various changes in welfare and school milk, and meals, and the result of their advice has been a return largely to a system of running indices, better than before.