National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS)
If you have been invited to take part in the survey and would like some help or would prefer to take part by telephone, please call us for free on 0800 652 4572.
About the study
The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) is doing research to help the government understand and improve our health and make sure our food is safe. This research looks at what people eat and the nutrients they get.
The National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) is a scientific study of people's eating habits. It has been running across the UK every year since 2008. By taking part, you can help improve public health and food safety.
NatCen carry out the study with the MRC Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge.
Make your voice heard
We randomly select a number of addresses each year. At each address, we invite up to two adults (aged 19 years and older) and/or one or two young people (aged 1 to 18 years) to take part in this important study. Your answers will help to inform Government policy around diet and nutrition.
Who funds NDNS?
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) are funding this study. It is carried out by the National Centre for Social Research and the Medical Research Council Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge.
The Food Standards Agency is an independent, non-ministerial department. FSA works across England, Wales and Northern Ireland and FSA’s main objectives in law are to protect public health from risks arising from the consumption of food and generally to protect the interests of consumers in relation to food.
What's involved?
If your household has been selected to take part, you will receive an invitation letter in the post. In some households we are asking up to two adults (aged 19 or older) and /or one young person (aged 1 to 18) to take part. In other households we will invite up to two young people (aged 1 to 18) to take part. A parent may be asked to help younger children take part.
Taking part in NDNS involves:
- Answering some online questions about eating habits, including recording what you ate and drank yesterday – this will take about 35 minutes.
- Recording online what you ate and drank on 3 further days – each will take around 20 minutes to complete.
We will also ask some individuals aged 4 years or older to provide a urine sample and post it back to us.
> Click on this survey link if you have been invited to take part in the survey
Your access codes are in the letter sent to your household.
No need to prepare
There’s no need to prepare for the questionnaire. You don’t need any special knowledge; we just want to hear about your eating and drinking habits.
The biomedical fieldworker visit
The second stage of the survey, if you are invited and agree, is a visit in your home to take a blood sample and some physical measurements. This is carried out by a qualified biomedical fieldworker who can explain more and answer any questions you may have.
Who are NatCen?
Read moreWhy have I been chosen and who can take part?
Why you’re so important to us
We cannot replace your address with another, as that would affect the results. This makes your taking part especially important to us.
At each address, we will invite the following to take part:
- Up to two adults (aged 19 years or older) and/or one young person (aged 1 to 18 years) or
- Up to two young people (aged 1 to 18 years).
Who can take part?
The survey covers adults and children aged from 1 year and older. We explain who can take part in the survey from your household in the invitation letter. To help our survey to be representative of the population, we would like as many people to take part as possible, up to the maximum invited in your household's letter.
In a household where we invite up to two adults (aged 19 years or older) and/or one young person (aged 1 to 18) to take part – if your household has no young people (aged 1 to 18 years), we’d still like adults (up to two) to take part.
In households where we invite up to two young people (aged 1 to 18 years) to do the survey, this can be with one young person or two young people. In these households, we are not inviting adults aged 19 or older to take part although they can help children to complete the survey.
We want to hear from you
It’s really important to us, the Department for Health and Social Care and the Food Standards Agency that our research reflects the experiences of everyone living in the UK. That's why we want as many people as possible to take part. Whether you’re old or young, rich or poor, living in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, your input is important to us.
Why take part?
A token of our appreciation
As a thank you for taking part, you can receive up to £50, depending on which elements of the study you take part in. For example, each person who tells us what they eat and drink on 4 separate days is offered shopping vouchers totalling £20 as well as personal dietary feedback. We also offer £25 in shopping vouchers for providing a blood sample and £5 for sending us a urine sample.
How does NDNS make a difference
By taking part in the survey, you are helping the government to understand how the nation's diet is changing.
This information is used to develop and help monitor public health initiatives such as the 5 A DAY campaign and reformulation programmes to reduce sugar, salt, and calories in manufactured products.
Recording what you have eaten and drunk
We will ask you to record everything you ate and drank the previous day. We call this a food record and we use an online research tool called Intake24 to collect this information.
For children aged 10 and under, a parent or carer should complete the food record on behalf of their child. It may be useful if the child is present to help where appropriate. Children aged 11 and over can complete the food record themselves (with the help of a parent or carer where necessary).
What’s involved?
As part of NDNS we are asking everyone to complete four food records. Getting information for several days helps us to understand more about the usual eating habits of people in the UK.
You will be asked to complete your first food record as part of the online questionnaire. Over the next two to three weeks, you will then be sent a link to Intake24 via email or text (your preference) to complete each of the next three food records which will be spread across different days of the week. We’ll send you reminder messages to tell you when you need to complete each food record.
For each food record you will be asked to enter every food and drink item you consumed throughout the previous day and to record how much of the food or drink you had by choosing from a series of photos or describing the amount, for example, 2 biscuits, 2 tablespoons of yoghurt.
Each food record typically takes about 20 minutes to complete. Some people may take less or more time.
If you need help completing your food records or any other part of the survey, you can contact us for free on 0800 652 4572.
Why is it important to complete the food records?
The information collected from the food records is used to help us understand the links between diet and health. By completing the food records, we can create a better picture of the eating habits across our nation. This is important so that we can improve our health and keep our food safe.
What will I receive for taking part?
If you complete the online questionnaire including the first food record, you will receive a £10 shopping voucher. If you complete all four food records, you will receive another £10 shopping voucher.
If you complete all four food records, you will be able to view, download, or print your personal dietary feedback based on the food and drink you have recorded.
Here is an example of personal dietary feedback:
How can I access my food record?
As part of the questionnaire, there will be a link to Intake24 for you to start your first food record.
The link to the survey is: https://b5uat.natcen.ac.uk/ndnsy17/ and your access codes are included in the letter sent to your household.
If you provided your contact details (either email address or mobile number), you will be sent an invitation with a link to complete a food record on 3 more occasions in the next 2 weeks.
Linking your data
Click here to find out more about what linking data is and why it is important.
Privacy notice
We will handle your data in accordance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The survey findings are anonymised and nothing we publish will identify you.
Click here to read the privacy notice.
Contact us
If you have any questions about the study that are not covered here, please do get in touch with us. One of our staff will get back to you as soon as possible.
Email: ndns@natcen.ac.uk
Telephone: 0800 652 4572
Help to take part
If you need any help to take part in NDNS, please call us for free on 0800 652 4572 to arrange a time that works for you to complete the survey by phone.
Participant information letter
There are two types of participation information letter depending on your address type: