Kostanalyses

Kostanalyses is a term used in several languages to denote the systematic study of dietary intake and its implications. In nutrition science, it can refer to the analysis of an individual’s or a population’s diet to assess nutritional adequacy, energy balance, and adherence to dietary guidelines. In nutrition economics, kostanalyses may also describe the evaluation of the cost of diets, food affordability, and the economic consequences of dietary choices. Because usage varies by language and discipline, the term can encompass both biological and economic dimensions of eating patterns.

In the nutrition science sense, kostanalyses involves collecting dietary intake data and translating it into estimates of energy intake and nutrient consumption. Common methods include 24-hour dietary recalls, food frequency questionnaires, and food diary records, often paired with food composition databases to estimate macro- and micronutrient intake. These analyses seek to determine whether intakes meet recommended levels and to identify dietary gaps or excesses.

In the economic sense, kostanalyses analyzes the cost of diets or meals using price data, household expenditure surveys, and budget constraints. It may compare the cost of a population’s current diet with recommended dietary patterns or model how changes in prices affect diet quality and affordability across income groups.

Applications span clinical nutrition, public health planning, and policy development, including budgeting for food assistance programs and evaluating interventions aimed at improving diet quality within financial constraints. Limitations common to both strands include measurement error, representativeness of data, and the variability of diets over time. The term’s exact meaning should be inferred from context, as “kostanalyses” is not uniformly standardized across languages and disciplines.