Guiding Principles for Studies on the Nutrition of Populations

The general purpose of this monograph is indicated by the title. The need for such a book became obvious when the Technical Commission on Nutrition of the League of Nations Health Organization in 1938 "recorded its view that studies undertaken in the future should preferably be of the complete type, covering both the diet and the state of nutrition of the same subjects." A monograph devoted to the subject of the technics required for such studies, their advantages and disadvantages, relative values for the same and different situations, and kindred related topics was required. Dr. Big-wood's book meets this need. Part I deals with Dietary Surveys, whether they concern entire populations , special social groups and institutions, families, or individuals. Important points such as scope of the survey, its duration, methods of securing food consumption records, qualifications of the investigating staff, classification of foodstuffs in the records, analysis of the data, and the body's needs for special nutrients like calcium, iron, vitamins, etc., all receive due attention. A particularly valuable section deals with the scales of family coefficients for calorie allowances, for in this chapter will be found tables of scales set up for other parts of the world besides Europe and North America. Scales of consumption coefficients for other nutritive principles, vitamins, for example, are also offered. No doubt some workers in this field will question the validity of some of the suggested vitamin allowances. It may be pointed out, however, that research activity in this field is very great at the present time, and the contention of some investigators that certain of the suggested allowances are low is really based upon data secured while this monograph was in press. The economic phase of the general problem is considered and illustrated in representative "cheap-calorie" and "dear-calorie" diets and the treatment of their detailed data. The importance of appreciating and evaluating properly the normal variations to be expected in data of this sort is also given due consideration. Part II is entitled "Enquiries into the State of Nutrition." Various indices of nutritional status are compared, as well as the different methods that have been proposed for estimating the presence and degree of specific types of malnutrition such as vitamin A deficiency, that due to lack of vitamin C, etc. One also finds the various somatometric indices such as the Quetelet Index, Manouvrier Index, von Pirquet's "peledisi," etc., set forth and …