M E D I A A D V I S O R Y
EVENT: FOURTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON DIETARY ASSESSMENT METHODS
A Challenge for the New Millennium: Promoting the Appropriate Use of Dietary Assessment Tools for All
DATES/TIMES: SUNDAY, SEPT. 17, 1 - 5 P.M.
MONDAY, SEPT. 18, 8 A.M. - 4 P.M.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 19, 6:45 A.M. - 6:10 P.M.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 20, 8 A.M. - 12:30 P.M.
PLACE: Sheraton El Conquistador Resort, 10000 N. Oracle Rd., Tucson
MEDICAL WRITERS/ASSIGNMENT EDITORS NOTE: Media are welcome to attend and cover this event, which is for health professionals only, not the general public. A copy of the conference program is available on the conference website at http://www.ahsc.arizona.edu/apc/conferences/dietmethods.htm. Speakers will be available for interviews prior to and immediately following the conference, as well as during breaks; to make arrangements, please contact the AHSC Public Affairs staff member on call, pager (520) 793-7825.-----------------------------------------------------------------Contact: Jean Spinelli, [email protected] or George Humphrey, [email protected] (520) 626-7301
More than 400 experts from more than 40 countries around the world will participate in the fourth International Conference on Dietary Assessment Methods, Sunday, Sept. 17 through Wednesday, Sept. 20, at the Sheraton El Conquistador Resort, 10000 N. Oracle Rd., Tucson.
From managing patients with nutritionally related diseases such as heart disease and cancer to managing the health of the world's populations, the dietary assessment methods used in nutrition and health studies impact clinical as well as public health decision-making on a daily basis. Improving the collection and analysis of dietary data is the focus of this conference, which has been organized under the leadership of the University of Arizona College of Public Health in cooperation with the UA Colleges of Agriculture and Medicine.
The conference will include presentations from some of the world's leading academic research institutions as well as national and international health agencies, including the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Institute of Medicine, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and several countries' ministries of health.
"This conference will address dietary assessment methods used in studying maternal and infant health, heart disease and stroke, cancer, diabetes and chronic disabling conditions, alcohol intake and consumption of non-nutritive substances such as fat substitutes and dietary supplements," says conference chairperson Douglas Taren, Ph.D., associate professor of public health, UA College of Public Health. "Sessions also will address methods for determining the extent of food insecurity, hunger and micronutrient deficiencies in developed and developing countries." (Households that are food insecure lack adequate resources for food to meet their basic needs.)
Researchers and health professionals in biostatistics, psychology, anthropology, sociology, physiology, biochemistry, nutrition, linguistics and other disciplines will discuss how to better collect dietary data, validate new methods and improve statistical methods for analysis of data.
Conference goals include understanding changing food consumption patterns as they relate to diet and health, and facilitating the development and evaluation of nutrition-related health objectives through better methods of assessing food and nutrient intakes. Specific aims include: better understanding the strengths and limitations of current dietary assessment tools, encouraging interdisciplinary approaches to dietary assessment research, addressing issues in comparing international studies, and identifying future research priorities in dietary assessment methodology.
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