Issues in Analysis and Presentation of Dietary Data

Abstract This chapter is a synthesis of selected issues relating to the analysis and presentation of dietary data, building on the experiences of those working in this field. The underlying objectives of data analysis and presentation are to learn as much as possible from the available data and to present what has been learned so far to readers completely and with maximum clarity. Particularly for presentation, the approaches should vary depending on the intended readership. For example, simpler analytic approaches and greater use of figures may be appropriate for a general medical journal, whereas more complex methods and primarily tabular results may be best for an epidemiologic publication.