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Case Studies
Denmark Adolescent Nutrition Research Study
Case Study

Denmark Adolescent Nutrition Research Study

A university-led research study examining dietary patterns among Danish adolescents, leveraging Intake24 to collect high-quality dietary data across multiple schools with minimal participant burden.

Location
Denmark
Institution
University Research Team
Timeline
2019 - 2022
Scale
2,500+ students
Research StudyAcademic

Background & Context

This study was designed to investigate dietary patterns and nutritional adequacy among Danish adolescents aged 11–17 years across a cross-section of urban and rural schools. Researchers at a leading Danish university partnered with Intake24 to enable self-administered dietary recall at scale, reducing the need for costly interview-based data collection.

The study aimed to identify key nutritional gaps and assess the feasibility of digital dietary assessment methods in school-based research settings across multiple regions of Denmark.

Collaboration & Stakeholders

→University Research Team - Principal investigator and study design
→Danish School Network - Recruitment and fieldwork coordination
→National Food Institute - Food composition database support

Approaches Considered

Interviewer-Led Recall

Traditional dietary recall method with trained interviewers at each school.

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✓ High data quality
× Costly at scale
× Scheduling constraints in school settings

Intake24 (Selected Approach)

Selected

Self-administered digital recall system adapted for the Danish adolescent context.

✓ School-friendly deployment
✓ Reduced researcher burden
✓ Danish language and food database integration

Implementation Process

1

Danish Language & Food Adaptation (4 months)

Translating the Intake24 interface into Danish and integrating the Danish food composition database.

2

School Pilot (2 months)

Piloting the adapted system with 3 schools to test usability with adolescents.

3

Full Study Rollout (12 months)

Deploying across all participating schools with teacher-facilitated sessions.

4

Data Analysis & Publication (6 months)

Processing collected dietary data and publishing findings in peer-reviewed journals.

Challenges & Solutions

Challenge

Adolescent Engagement

Solution

Gamification elements and a visually engaging interface were introduced to improve completion rates among younger participants.

Challenge

Food Database Gaps

Solution

Collaborated with the National Food Institute to fill gaps in the Danish food composition database for adolescent-specific food items.

Outcomes & Lessons Learned

Key Outcomes

→92% questionnaire completion rate across participating schools
→Identified significant micronutrient gaps in adolescent diets
→Results published in 3 peer-reviewed nutrition journals
→Methodology adopted by 2 follow-up research studies

Key Lessons

Engage School Stakeholders Early: Involving teachers and school administrators from the outset ensured smooth logistics and high participation rates.

Adapt for the Audience: Tailoring the user interface and language for adolescents significantly improved engagement and data quality.