Simon Wheeler

Simon is a public health nutritionist specialising in assessment of dietary intake and nutritional status, particularly during pregnancy. He is developing the MRC Population Health Sciences Measurements Toolkit, or 'EpiTools', funded by a grant from the MRC Population Health Sciences Research Network (PHSRN) and led by Dr Nita Forouhi, Programme Leader of the Nutritional Epidemiology Group.EpiTools is a web-based resource providing methodological guidance and knowledge to researchers planning studies that require rigorous measurement of commonly-used variables, such as:- Dietary intake and eating behaviour- Physical activity and energy expenditure- Body composition and muscle strength- Smoking status and behaviour- Alcohol intakeThe project serves as an update and upgrade of the 'Dietary Assessment and Physical Activity (DAPA) Toolkit', developed in 2009 through a previous PHSRN grant. Its remit has been expanded to harness the wealth of expertise available within the MRC, providing methodological guidance on a wide range of epidemiological measures for populations of every life stage, such as infancy, pregnancy, childhood, adolescence or later life.As well as outlining the various assessment methods available, EpiTools will guide users in the selection of methods appropriate for their study population and research aims. It will also facilitate access to assessment tools, either by hosting them on the MRC EpiTools website or providing contact information and links to to organisations that may be able to assist.