Web-based Survey Tools

The World Wide Web provides an effective means of supporting survey projects, particularly when data collectors are geographically dispersed. Wireless and wireline communications can be used to integrate the survey team by providing current and consistent supporting materials to all members of the project team. Interactive tutorials, survey instructions and updates, technical support, computer-assisted survey instrument software and updates, text-based and graphic survey management reports, data views for monitoring and editing, and summary reports are some of the tools that can be delivered via Web browsers to data collection staff, survey managers, clients, and the public. We will describe Web-based tools that have been developed to support a national survey of natural resources, and discuss possible extensions of this work

Critique of Two Methods for Assessing the Nutrient Adequacy of Diets

The adequacy of diets can be assessed using several analytical approaches. This paper reviews two methods of assessment: a cutoff method, which estimates the percentage of the population having usual intakes below a given value; and a probability method, which assesses the percentage of the population whose usual intakes are below their individual requirements. First, the concept of usual nutrient intakes and the problems associated with estimating usual intake distributions are discussed. Next, the two methods of dietary assessment and their related assumptions are described and compared. The more specific inference of the probability method is shown to rely on its assumptions and data that are currently not available. While the cutoff method is simpler, its use may result in misclassification errors and its estimates are highly influenced by the cut-off standard selected.