The NDNS is commissioned and funded by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and is carried out by a research consortium.
Scientific leadership is provided by the MRC Epidemiology Unit with activities led and delivered through the Nutrition Measurement Platform for the measurement of diet, physical activity and nutritional biomarkers, including assessment of energy expenditure (doubly-labelled water). We also provide advisory input and oversight for biological samples collection, and clinical review. Our partner organisation NatCen Social Research (NatCen) and contract lead, undertake survey design and sampling, and set up and manage fieldwork including biomedical fieldworker visits and data collection form design and implementation.
We take responsibility for interpretation and providing the scientific interface with the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) and government and, in conjunction with our partner organisation NatCen and OHID, we produce official statistics results reports.
Operational support for the NDNS is provided from the wider MRC Epidemiology Unit for study management, data management and Biorepository.
The day-to-day running of NDNS is managed by the Consortium organisations with coordination through an NDNS Consortium Management Group. Scientific leadership is supported by senior scientists within the MRC Epidemiology Unit headed by Professor Nick Wareham and external experts. The survey is overseen by the NDNS Project Board which is managed by OHID and meets 3-4 times a year.
