Course
Exposure Assessment in Nutrition Research
5th edition
The course will address methodological aspects of exposure assessment in nutrition and related fields of biomedical research.
Background
One of the main objectives of nutrition research is to provide scientific evidence for the role of diet in human health and disease. High quality dietary assessment methods and biomarkers are crucial to optimally design studies in this field. Nutrition research is often blamed for poor exposure assessment that might impair its usefulness. Therefore, studies that evaluate the validity of dietary assessment methods are important to allow proper inference from such studies. Consequently, researchers should master the concepts and principles underlying evaluation studies.
Target group
The course is meant for university graduates in biomedical sciences; nutrition, epidemiology etc. Knowledge on basic statistical concepts and methods (e.g. linear regression, paired t-test, correlation, ANOVA) and study designs is assumed. The course welcomes PhD candidates and postdocs as well as participants from industry and research centres.
Course aim
The course will address methodological aspects of exposure assessment in nutrition and related fields of biomedical research.
After participation the participant:
- Is able to make a well-informed choice from different methods of exposure assessment;
- Has insight in sources of measurement errors, consequences for exposure assessment, impact on associations observed, and methods to account for these errors;
- Is able to design and analyse evaluation studies, and to quantitatively present and interpret their results;
- Is able to critically evaluate exposure assessment in nutrition and related fields of biomedical research.
Course design
The course consists of a series of lectures, supported by computer-assisted exercises. Also, discussions on exposure assessment in the participant’s own research will be part of the programme.
The following topics will be addressed:
- State-of-the-art and recent developments in dietary assessment for different research questions and study designs, including issues relevant to collection of biomarkers in practice.
- Study designs for evaluation studies assessing validity and reproducibility, focusing on level of intake, nature of variation in diet, ability of ranking subjects, followed by the application of results in calibration of exposure and deattenuation of associations.
- Error models in exposure assessment, addressing systematic and random errors (group level bias, intake related bias, person-specific bias, day-to-day-variation, instrumental bias).
- Statistical methodology to estimate usual intake and uncertainty in dietary assessment.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 09.00-09.45 | Welcome and introduction participants and staff -Jeanne de Vries | Modelling long-term intake using short-term measurements -Kevin Dodd | The OPEN biomarker study : evaluating the structure of dietary measurement error -Kevin Dodd | Regression calibration for univariate dietary exposures -Kevin Dodd | Energy-adjustment -Pieter van ’t Veer |
| 09.45-10.30 | -continued | Reporting nutritional epidemiology and dietary assessment -Laura Trijsburg | Dietary monitoring: evaluation of energy and nutrient intake -Marga Ocké | Future of measuring diet -Janet Cade | Regression calibration for multivariate dietary exposures - Kevin Dodd |
| 10.30-11.00 | Break | Break | Break | Break | Break |
| 11.00-13.00 | Course content and Dietary assessment methods -Jeanne de Vries | E-learning: 1A/1B | E-learning: 1B/2A | E-learning: 2A/2B | Assignment ‘take home messages’ |
| 13.00-14.00 | Lunch break | Lunch break | Lunch break | Lunch break | Lunch break |
| 14.00-14.45 | Assignment dietary assessment methods -Jeanne de Vries | Biomarkers -Paul Hulshof | Assignment ‘Validation Studies Pooling Project’ -Pieter van ’t Veer | Handling measurement error in confounding variables -Hendriek Boshuizen | Assignment ‘take home messages’ |
| 14.45-15.30 | Feedback dietary assessment methods -Jeanne de Vries | Eetscore and Nutriprofiel -to be determined | -continued | Beyond nutrients: describing the diet in terms of taste -Monica Mars | Closure: future perspectives -Pieter van’t Veer -Kevin Dodd |
| 15.30-16.00 | Break | Break | Break | Break | --- |
| 16.00-18.00 | E-learning: intro/1A | E-learning: 1B | E-learning: 2A | E-learning: 2B | --- |
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Organisation
Course coordinators
- Dr. Jeanne de Vries, Division of Human Nutrition, Wageningen University
- Yvonne Smolders, Graduate School VLAG
Other faculty
- Dr. Kevin Dodd, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, US
- Prof. Janet Cade, University of Leeds, UK
- Dr. Marga Ocké, National Institute of Public Health and the Environment
- Prof. Hendriek Boshuizen, Division of Human Nutrition, Wageningen University
- Dr. Cora Busstra, Division of Human Nutrition, Wageningen University
- Ir. Paul Hulshof, Division of Human Nutrition, Wageningen University
- Prof. Pieter van 't Veer, Division of Human Nutrition, Wageningen University
- Dr. Jeanne de Vries, Division of Human Nutrition, Wageningen University, course leader
- Dr. Laura Trijsburg, Division of Human Nutrition, Wageningen University
- Dr. Monica Mars, Division of Human Nutrition, Wageningen University
Date & duration
The course will be held from from 27 August – 31 August 2018.
Study load
The study load of this course is 1.5 ECTS credits.
Language
The course language will be English.
Contact information
For more information please contact: Mrs. Yvonne Smolders
The Graduate School VLAG
PO Box 17
6700 AA Wageningen
The Netherlands
Phone: +31 317 485108
Email: Yvonne.Smolders@wur.nl
Location & accommodation
Lectures will be given at Wageningen University. Wageningen is located 5 kms from the train station of Ede-Wageningen. This railway station can be reached by train from the airport Schiphol in about one hour. The organization has blocked a number of hotel rooms at Wageningen International Hotel and Congress Centre (WICC) for course participants, but only until 15 July 2018.
Single room 75 euro per night, including breakfast, excluding taxes. Transport to Wageningen Campus by bus (public transport) or bike (to be rent at the hotel). Participants have to book their own room by sending an e-mail to: info@wicc.nl. Please book your room before 30 April 2018 and mention booking code EXPO18. http://www.wicc.nl/
Another option is to book a Bed & breakfast: https://classic.bedandbreakfast.nl/bed-and-breakfast/wageningen/netherlands/c2745088
Registration & course fee
To register please complete the electronic reply form.
The number of participants to the course is limited to 30. The final registration date is 27 July 2018. Registrations are accepted in the order in which the course fee payment is received.
| VLAG PhD candidates | € 250 |
| PhD candidates | € 500 |
| University staff / Non-profit organisations | € 750 |
| Industry / For-profit | € 2000 |
The course fee includes materials, coffee/tea during breaks, lunches and one dinner but does not cover accommodation.
Applicants will be informed of acceptance of their registration within two weeks of the final registration date. They will then receive instructions for payment, a letter of acceptance and further course details.
Cancellations policy
- No charge until 27 July 2018
- 25 % of the course fee paid or due till 20 August 2018
- No refund after 20 August 2018
Substitutions for participants may be made at any time until the start of the course.