A fully-integrated solution for collecting and assessing actionable dietary data
Developed by the INDDEX Project, and now hosted at the Intake Center for Dietary Assessment at FHI Solutions, the INDDEX24 Dietary Assessment Platform is an integrated dietary research platform that leverages the INDDEX24 Mobile App and the Global Food Matters Database to accelerate food and nutrition research in low- and middle-income countries.
To address the critical need for more accurate and timely food and nutrition assessments, The INDDEX Project has been working to overcome the biggest barriers to success by assembling comprehensive dietary reference data and then linking it to an efficient and accurate 24-hour recall surveys to ensure that the data collected in the field are directly transformed into actionable, policy-relevant information.
The INDDEX24 Dietary Assessment Platform for food and nutrition research provides unified access to the essential tools researchers in low- and middle-income countries need in order to assemble and access dietary reference data, conduct timely and effective quantitative food consumption surveys, and analyze results. We do this by integrating dietary reference data management and reporting tools with an easy-to-use, mobile, quantitative 24-hour dietary survey tool. The Platform consists of:
- The INDDEX24 Mobile App - an efficient, effective, and flexible solution for conducting accurate quantitative 24-hour dietary recall surveys in low- and middle-income countries that lead to timely, actionable results.
- The Global Food Matters Database - a global repository of national, sub-national, and regional dietary reference databases including individual foods, recipes, detailed nutrient information, and conversion factors. Over time, this database will grow to house key dietary reference data from around the world that will allow users to seamlessly begin dietary recall surveys using the INDDEX24 Mobile App with less time required to launch the survey. To access the FMDB, please fill out this interest form.
- The Survey Management Interface - The website used for mobile app management and data monitoring. INDDEX24 Mobile App uses the CommCare HQ survey management to customize select components of the INDDEX24 Mobile App to the survey context and add additional survey modules, as needed, to the project space.
- The Gap and Analytical Reports - A series of reporting tools that provides simple summary statistics of the dietary survey data and facilitates data processing by highlighting gaps that need to be filled in the dietary reference database.
To learn more about how the components of the INDDEX24 Dietary Assesment Platform work together, please watch this short introduction video:
INDDEX24 Platform Testing & Validation
In 2019, the INDDEX24 Dietary Assessment Platform underwent rigorous testing and validation in West Africa (Burkina Faso) and Southeast Asia (Viet Nam), in close collaboration with our country partners, National Institute of Statistics and Demography in Burkina Faso and the National Institute of Nutrition in Viet Nam. The INDDEX24 Mobile App was compared against the traditional multiple pass 24-hour dietary recall method using pen-and-paper, with both 24-hour recall modalities (mobile vs. paper) compared against the weighed food record method which served as the benchmark. Key validation indicators included accuracy, total cost, and cost-effectiveness. All the dietary reference data are stored, and publicly available, in the Global Food Matters Database. Prior to the validation studies, the INDDEX24 Dietary Assessment Platform underwent four years of rigorous development and testing, guided by the Tufts INDDEX team and a technical advisory group of dietary assessment experts, with significant input from partners in both Burkina Faso and the Viet Nam. Detailed results for the validation and cost studies are forthcoming. A summary brief of results can be found here.
As of June 1, 2022, Intake at FHI Solutions is currently managing the INDDEX24 Dietary Assessment Platform.
Contact Intake for information on becoming a new user of the INDDEX24 Dietary Assessment Platform.