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UKHLS: dietary data collection

While there were no FFQs or diet diaries collected, there are a number of diet-related questions (see the table below). From Wave 7, some of these questions were based on the Eating Choice Index which has been shown in the NSHD to discriminate unhealthy and healthy eating [50].

The COVID-19 surveys contained specific questions about food insecurity which are outlined in the second table below.

In addition to the questions in the first table, mothers answered information about their child’s breastfeeding, including the age of their child when they stopped breastfeeding.

Diet-related questions in UKHLS

Question [index term] Datafile* 1991-2008 2009-11 2010-12 2011-13 2012-14 2013-15 2014-16 2015-17 2016-18 2017-19 2018-20 2019-21 July 2020 2020-22 Jan 2021
BHPS† W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6 W7 W8 W9 W10 W11 COVID4 W12 COVID7
Data deposit 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2020 2022 2021
Questionnaire (Q = main; YQ = youth)** YQ Q / YQ YQ Q / YQ Q / YQ Q / YQ Q / YA Q / YQ Q / YQ Q Q / YQ Q Q Q
Eat meat, chicken, fish every second day (yes/no) ‡ [hscane] HH ✔
Does the child eat fruit and/or vegetables every day (yes/no) ‡[cdepdo5] HH ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Frequency of eating out§[lacte] IN ✔
Frequency of fruit (frozen, dried and fresh) |[wkfruit] IN ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Frequency of vegetables (tinned, frozen, dried and fresh, not potatoes) |[wkvege] IN ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
On days you eat it, number of portions of fresh fruit and vegetables per day [fruvege] IN ✔ ✔ ✔
On days you eat it, number of portions of fruit [fruitamt] IN ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
On days you eat it, number of portions of vegetables [vegeamt] IN ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Type of milk used [usdairy] IN ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Type of bread used∆[usbread] IN ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Number of days breakfast consumed [breakfst] IN ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Eats food from where born†† [food1] IN ✔ ✔ ✔
Eats food from mother’s country of birth†† [food2] IN ✔ ✔ ✔
Eats food from father’s country of birth†† [food3] IN ✔ ✔ ✔
Eats food from maternal grandmother’s country of birth††[food4] IN ✔ ✔ ✔
Eats food from maternal grandfather’s country of birth††[food5] IN ✔ ✔ ✔
Eats food from paternal grandmother’s country of birth††[food6] IN ✔ ✔ ✔
Eats food from paternal grandfather’s country of birth††[food7] IN ✔ ✔ ✔
Frequency of fresh fruit or vegetables‡‡[ypfrut] Y ✔ ✔
Number of portions of fresh fruit and vegetables per day§§[ypfrutppd] Y ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Frequency of fast food‡‡[ypffd] Y ✔ ✔
Frequency of breakfast‡‡[ypffdwk] Y ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Frequency of crisps, sweets or fizzy drinks‡‡[ypjfd] Y ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Foodbank use [foodbank, foodbankno] HH ✔ ✔

Notes.

* HH = hhresp file, house-hold level; IN = indresp file, individual level; Y = youth, individual level.
All index terms are searchable on the Understanding Society website.
** All main and youth questionnaires used in the main survey waves can be downloaded from
† Not all waves of BHPS asked these questions; see the Understanding Society questionnaires  for details.
‡ These questions were designed to assess derivation rather than diet.

Response options:
§ At least once a week/at least once a month/several times a year/once a year or less/never or almost never
| Never/1-3 days/4-6 days/every day
Whole/semi-skimmed/skimmed/soya/any other/ don’t use milk.
∆ White/wholemeal/Granary or wholegrain/both brown and white/don’t eat bread /other type of bread.
†† Every day/3-6 days a week/ 1-2 days a week/a least monthly/at least every 6 months/rarely or never/special occasion.
‡‡ Every day or nearly/about once a week/every now and then/ never or hardly ever.
§§ 5 or more/3-4 portions/1-2 portions/none.

Food insecurity questions in UKHLS COVID surveys

Question [index term] Data file* Apr 2020 May 2020 Jun 2020 Jul 2020 Sep 2020 Nov 2020 Jan 2021 Mar 2021 Sep 2021
COVID1 COVID2 COVID3 COVID4 COVID5 COVID6 COVID7 COVID8
Pre-pandemic use of foodbanks
[blfoodbank]		 IN ✔ ✔
How often used foodbank in last 4 weeks
[foodbank_cv]		 IN ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Why used foodbank
[fbbkwhy]		 IN ✔
Other reasons for foodbank use
[fdbkwhy_oth]		 IN ✔
Cut meal size/skipped a meal due to food insecurity
[cutmeals]		 IN ✔ ✔ ✔
Received donations of food in last 4 weeks
[fcomhelpwhat4]		 IN ✔
Hungry but did not eat
[hungry_cv]		 IN ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Went hungry because could not afford food
[hungrywhy1]		 IN ✔ ✔ ✔
Went hungry because shops did not have food
[hungrywhy2]		 IN ✔ ✔ ✔
Went hungry because could not access food as were self-isolating
[hungrywhy3]		 IN ✔ ✔ ✔
Unable to eat healthy and nutritious food
[lacknutr_cv]		 IN ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Notes.

* all variables contained in the indresp (IN) datafile; however, some are contained in the indresp_w (web survey) and some in the indresp_t (telephone survey).
The questionnaires used in the COVID-19 waves can be downloaded from the Understanding Society website.

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