MRC Epidemiology UnitIntake24 is an open source online 24-hour dietary assessment tool based on the 24-hour recall method, primarily designed for self-completion.
The tool was created by Newcastle University (UK), funded by Food Standards Agency, Scotland and is now maintained and developed in collaboration by Cambridge University, Monash University (Australia) and Newcastle University (UK). Our goal is to support the ongoing development of Intake24 and enable its wider use and application by researchers internationally.
In the UK, Intake24.org is used for dietary data collection in the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS).
Internationally the tool has been adapted for Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and South Asia (Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, as part of the South Asia Biobank study) and translated for Portugal, Denmark, the UAE.
The tool is freely available to researchers (where using already available configurations and versions). If you are interested to find out more please see the information below and contact us at: intake24support@mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk.
Access and use of Intake24
Use of the Intake24 system is available for research currently free of charge where using already available configurations and versions. If you are interested in accessing Intake24 at Cambridge for your research study, please see the Intake24 general information document for further details.
If you would like a study set up on the publically available UK version of Intake24 please complete an Intake24 study setup form and email it to us: intake24support@mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk.
If you are interested in using or adapting Intake24 for a different population or setting please contact us: intake24support@mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk to discuss further. We are interested in collaborating to enable further customisation and adaptation of Intake24 (for example Intake24 questions and special updates to food databases for use in other populations and settings).
Intake24 resources:
- Intake24 general information
- Intake24 study setup form
- Quick start to accessing your survey on Intake24
- Intake24 Data Dictionary
- Intake24 Data Dictionary 2023
- Intake24 Data Management
Citing Intake24
To help maintain support for Intake24, documenting its use through publications is very useful.
Please use the following acknowledgement in your publications:
Intake24 is an open-source web-based dietary assessment research tool based on the 24-hour recall method, primarily designed for self-completion. Intake24 was created by Newcastle University (UK), funded by Food Standards Agency, Scotland and is now maintained and developed through a collaboration between Cambridge University (UK), Monash University (Australia) and Newcastle University (UK).
Please also cite the following information:
Intake24 web address: ‘https://intake24.org’, “LOCALE VERSION, YEAR-YEAR” to reference the Intake24 version and time period of use.
In addition to the above, when citing Intake24, please include the primary publication:
Bradley, J., Simpson, E., Poliakov, I., Matthews, J.N., Olivier, P., Adamson, A.J. and Foster, E., 2016. Comparison of INTAKE24 (an online 24-h dietary recall tool) with interviewer-led 24-h recall in 11–24 year-old. Nutrients, 8(6), p.358.
Additionally you may wish to cite further development or evaluation publications.
Sign up for Intake24 updates
To join our Intake24 mailing list to receive updates on Intake24 developments, please email us: intake24support@mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk. You can view previous updates below:
Intake24 and the UK Nutrient Databank
Each food and drink in Intake24 is linked to a food composition code which provides the nutrient values in the dietary data extracts. Intake24.org uses the UK Nutrient Databank (NDB) to derive nutrient data outputs. The NDB is owned by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) and maintained by the Dietary Assessment Team in the Nutrition Measurement Platform at the MRC Epidemiology Unit for the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey. Alternative food composition databases can be incorporated into Intake24.
Further information on the background and development of the NDB can be found in Appendix A of the National Diet and Nutrition Survey Year 9 to 11 report. Additional information on the further development of the NDB for Intake24 can also be found in the NDNS Stage 1 Evaluation report. Currently Intake24.org uses a version of the NDB which relates to NDNS Year 12 fieldwork (2019-2020). Further details can be provided on request: intake24support@mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk.
All previous versions of the NDB can be accessed via the UK Data Archive.