Diet History Questionnaire: Modify the Nutrient Database

The DHQ Nutrient Database is a file containing the nutrient content information required by Diet*Calc to analyze Diet History Questionnaire data. The database must be stored as a text file. You may use any spreadsheet program, such as Excel, to view, print, or edit a database. However, you may find it easier to use the Diet*Calc Database Utility to add nutrient data to a database. The utility converts nutrient values expressed as nutrient per 100 grams into the nutrient per serving size format required by Diet*Calc.

Format of the database file

1. The file must be an ASCII text file in CSV (Comma Separated Values) format.
2. The first line of the file must contain the column headers.
3. The data columns must be in the following order:
   • Food ID
   • Food Name
   • Age Group
   • Sex
   • Serving Size
   • Nutrients
4. The data must be sorted by the following fields:
   • Food ID
   • Age Group
   • Sex
   • Serving Size
5. The nutrient values in the Diet*Calc foods database are per serving size. National databases often contain data in the format of nutrient value per 100 grams of food. You may use the Diet*Calc Database Utility to import nutrient data in the 100 grams per food format. The utility will use the gram weight values in the foods database to calculate the nutrient per serving size.
6. The standard database for the DHQ provides nutrient food group intakes by gender and portion size. Nutrient values were not computed separately by age group. For investigators interested in adding age- specific values in the database, the Diet*Calc software has the flexibility to allow you to do so.

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