Gibraltar participants sought for nutrition survey on British Overseas Territories

The Department of Public Health is asking for the public’s support in an academic research project that focuses on nutrition in a selection of British Overseas Territories for people aged 14-49 years, who live or work in Gibraltar.

Hannah Jones, a registered dietitian and doctoral candidate at the Department of Population Health Sciences at Newcastle University is conducting research on the dietary habits in a number of UK Overseas Territories.

“Many diet and lifestyle related health issues such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity and other cardiovascular disease risk factors, which were previously seen developing in middle-aged people, are now being seen in young people with increasing frequency,” said Ms Jones.

“It is essential that local health and nutrition policies are based upon relevant data that reflects the needs of their individual population. Without local data, it is difficult for policymakers to ensure that policies and strategies have the intended impacts and outcomes for their unique communities. Understanding what and how the population eats and drinks is important to help inform the development of localised policies and public health strategies, and to ensure the cost-effective use of public health resources”, she added.

The dietary recall tool guides users to enter the items consumed at different times during the day, for 3 days. There are photographs to help determine portion sizes. The dietary recalls typically take about 15-20 minutes each, with the first recall usually taking the longest, and recalls two and three are expected to be quicker. Those who complete will be able to download a dietary report.

“The main aim is really to try to understand how people in Gibraltar eat, which foods and drinks they choose, the typical meals they eat, their meal patterns, and their general health. Of course, as a pilot survey, we're also trying to see if this strategy and method works for your population, and produces relevant, useful dietary information, which will be useful for making decisions about collecting health and nutrition data in the future,” said Ms Jones.

The Director of Public Health, Dr Helen Carter, explained: “While the Gibraltar Health Authority is not leading this project nor will have access to any personal information provided, we are supporting this endeavour as the information gathered will be of use in helping us to better understand the health and wellness of the nation.”

“We know that while this will not be a comprehensive study for the whole community, the findings will help to guide us and perhaps even determine if this is an area where more work needs to be done. We encourage eligible individuals to sign up and take part, as the number of participants will determine the quality of the information that is provided to us.”

The survey can be found here. Questions about the surveys should be directed to Hannah Jones on h.jones19@newcastle.ac.uk

EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this article had a broken link to the survey. The link has been corrected.