Research Assistant – Dietary Assessment

Dietary Assessment, Nutrition Measurement Platform

Current work and interests

Rachael joined the Unit in January 2019 as a Dietary Assessment Assistant with the Nutrition Measurement Platform. Her primary role is coding food diaries for the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS), working as part of a team managing tasks such as researching unknown foods and drinks to ensure the dietary assessment database is kept up-to date and performing data quality checks. The role involves collecting, collating and coding large volumes of dietary data from four-day estimated food diaries. Diet coding is completed using the Microsoft Access based dietary assessment system called Diets in Nutrients Out (DINO).

Background and experience

Previously Rachael worked for over 9 years coding food diaries at the MRC Human Nutrition Research (MRC HNR), working across a range of studies including NDNS, Diet and Nutrition Survey of Infants and Young Children (DNSIYC), and Sport, Physical activity and Eating behaviour: Environmental Determinants in Young people (SPEEDY).

Before joining MRC HNR, Rachael worked for Weight Watchers UK Ltd in the local business office for over 10 years doing various office roles starting as an Admin Assistant and working up to Office Supervisor.