In 1988, a Europe-wide, multicentre study on nutrition and health in the elderly (SENECA: Survey Europe on Nutrition in the Elderly: a Concerted Action) was started to examine dietary patterns in the elderly in relation to lifestyle, social and economic conditions, health, and performance. This paper evaluates the process of obtaining the baseline measurements of this longitudinal study and discusses quality control and difficulties encountered in gathering and comparing data in a cross-cultural, multicentre study.
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