After the nutrient database for the 2011-12 National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (NNPAS) component of the 2011-13 Australian Health Survey (AHS) had been finalised, new nutrient profiles were created for additional foods (and beverages) consumed during the 2012-13 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (NATSINPAS) as needed.
New nutrient profiles were generated for:
- foods that were unique to the NATSINPAS such as wild caught fish and meat, wild harvested fruit and vegetables, insects, jackaroo flour based products etc that were not present in the nutrient database developed for the NNPAS
- mixed dishes, where the equivalent dish consumed in the NNPAS was not considered appropriate for use in the NATSINPAS due to different trends observed in key ingredients and preparation practices
- 'not further defined' foods, where the equivalent 'not further defined' food consumed in the NNPAS was not considered appropriate for use in the NATSINPAS due to different trends observed in consumption patterns.
New nutrient profiles were generated using a similar approach to those used in the NNPAS, including recipe calculations, imputation and borrowing data. This process saw the nutrient database expand from over 5,600 foods to over 5,700 foods. With a total of 96 new nutrient profiles created.
Recipe calculations
Recipe calculations were the most commonly used technique for generating nutrient profiles for additional foods reported in the NATSINPAS and were used to generate nutrient data for mixed dishes, cooked meats and vegetables, and 'not further defined' foods. Recipes were created following the same processes and principles as the NNPAS. For more information see recipe calculations.
Borrowed data and imputation
Borrowing data and imputation were the most commonly used techniques for generating data
for wild caught and harvested foods such as echidna, turtle and yam.
for wild caught and harvested foods such as echidna, turtle and yam.
Where possible, nutrient data were borrowed from the composition of Australian aboriginal foods (Brand-Miller et al, 1993), overseas food composition databases (USDA, 2013; Health Canada, 2010), and scientific literature. These data sources rarely included values for all nutrients being reported in the AHS, so some of the individual nutrient values were generated using other techniques such as imputation.
Where FSANZ could not find any suitable data, a nutrient profile of an existing food was assumed to be similar to the food consumed in the NATSINPAS. For example wild caught pig was assumed similar to regular pork.
Other techniques used
The nutrient profiles for milk powder, homemade damper and jackaroo flour products were generated using analytical data collected by FSANZ during the NATSINPAS. Refer to the 2014 Milk powder and damper analytical program.
'Not further defined' foods
Some 'not further defined' foods developed for the NNPAS were used in the NATSINPAS. However, where the equivalent 'not further defined' food consumed in the NNPAS was not considered appropriate for use in the NATSINPAS due to differences in consumption patterns observed between the surveys a new 'not further defined' food was created. Where
two 'not further defined' foods exist for the same food, the food has been assigned a flag to help users identify which part of the AHS the food was used in.
two 'not further defined' foods exist for the same food, the food has been assigned a flag to help users identify which part of the AHS the food was used in.