Dietary Assessment Support Assistant

Dietary Assessment, Nutrition Measurement Platform

Current work and interests

Anila joined the Unit in January 2019 as a Dietary Assessment Assistant within the Nutrition Measurement Platform. In March 2020, Anila was promoted to the role of a Dietary Assessment Support Assistant. This involves assisting with the updating and maintenance of Intake24 and the Nutrient Databank for surveys including the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS). Anila is also involved in setting up external studies in Intake24, conducting assisted recalls, assisting with platform webpage updates and providing cover for the NDNS data manager and study coordinator. She has also recently become a Data Champion.

Background and experience

Whilst in her role as a Dietary Assessment Assistant, Anila was involved in coding dietary data from four-day estimated food diaries for the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) using the Microsoft Access-based system called Diet In Nutrients Out (DINO).

Prior to joining the Unit, Anila worked at the Medical Research Council (MRC) Elsie Widdowson Laboratory (formerly known as MRC Human Nutrition Research). Anila worked across a range of studies including the NDNS and Brain Imaging for Global Health (BRIGHT), coding food diaries using DINO. In addition, Anila assisted in an evaluation of automated dietary assessment tools for future use in the NDNS.

Anila has a BSc in Nutrition and Public Health with a supervised research placement year led by a team of academics on research projects related to Education and Nutrition. The placement involved conducting literature reviews, assisting with the preparation and submission of ethics applications and recruitment of participants.

Publications

• Farooq A,  Bradbury J. Orthorexia nervosa in university athletes. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 2016, 75(OCE3), E263. doi:10.1017/S0029665116002780
• Venables, C. M., Roberts, C., Nicholson, S., Bates, B., Jones, S. K., Ashford, R., Hill, S., Farooq, A., Koulman, A., Wareham, J. N., Page, P. (2022). Data Resource Profile: United Kingdom National Diet and Nutrition Survey Rolling Programme (2008–19). International Journal of Epidemiology, https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyac106