Automated Self-Administered 24-Hour (ASA24®) Dietary Assessment Tool
On this page...
- What is ASA24?
- How long is each version of ASA24 available?
- Who can use ASA24?
- What populations can be studied using ASA24?
- Want to adapt ASA24?
- How was ASA24 developed?
What is ASA24?
The Automated Self-Administered 24-hour (ASA24®) Dietary Assessment Tool is a free, web-based tool. ASA24 enables multiple, automatically coded, self-administered 24-hour diet recalls and/or single or multi-day food records, also known as food diaries.
Besides this informational website, ASA24 consists of two websites:
- The ASA24 respondent website guides participants through the completion of either 24-hour recalls or food records.
- The ASA24 researcher website lets researchers manage study logistics and obtain nutrient and food group data files. The researcher website serves a variety of users, collectively referred to as “researchers.”
Since ASA24 was released in 2009, researchers have collected 631,534 dietary recalls or food records. On average, 71 new studies register to use ASA24 every month. As of April 2021, studies that used ASA24 to collect diet data published more than 300 peer-reviewed scientific publications.
ASA24 Demonstration Site
Complete a 24-hour dietary recall on the ASA24 demonstration website to become familiar with ASA24.
Go to Demo Site
New Sleep Module Available
A new module was added to ASA24-2020 in November 2021 that enables researchers to examine the associations between sleep and dietary intake, timing of eating, and other variables in the context of the 24-hour day.
How long is each version of ASA24 available?
New U.S. versions of ASA24 are typically released every two years, to incorporate underlying biennial food and nutrient databases. New versions of ASA24 may also include additional functionalities and/or updates to the user interface. Typically, each U.S. version of ASA24 is available for about three years before retirement.
The Canadian and Australian versions of ASA24 are not updated as frequently as the U.S. version.
View a comparison of all versions of ASA24 to learn more about the underlying nutrient and food group databases, and other features.
Who can use ASA24?
The ASA24 system can be used in many settings, for a variety of purposes by anyone with access to a computer or mobile device with internet connection. Some of the most common uses include:
- Epidemiologic, interventional, behavioral, or clinical research.
- Collection of 24-hour recalls or food records from patients in health care settings.
- Educators and/or students analyzing nutrient intake or comparing diet assessment methods.
What populations can be studied using ASA24?
In general, the ASA24 respondent website is most appropriate for those with at least a fifth-grade reading level in either English or Spanish (or English and French if using the Canadian version) and with respondents who are comfortable using computers, tablets, or mobile devices. The NCI is aware of a few studies that have used ASA24 in low-income populations. Some individuals in these low-income populations may also have low-literacy levels.
In terms of respondent age, research suggests that those age 12 and older have the cognitive ability to complete a recall independently; however, this may vary child-to-child. NCI staff recommend piloting ASA24 with the study population of interest. NCI is aware of some studies that have asked parents and other caregivers to report intake for children.
Publications describing data collection in these populations, along with many others, are listed on ASA24’s publications page in both the Development and Evaluation and Data Collection tabs.
How can ASA24 be adapted?
Researchers interested in adapting the ASA24 system for a specific situation or country should contact the ASA24 Helpdesk.
How was ASA24 developed?
The NCI developed ASA24 under contract with Westat, a social science research company. ASA24 adapted the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Automated Multiple-Pass Method (AMPM) and The Food Intake Recording Software System (FIRSSt), a self-administered recall tool originally developed for children by Dr. Tom Baranowski of Baylor College of Medicine. Visit the ASA24 publications page for more information.
Learn more about ASA24:
The following NIH Institutes and Offices have funded ASA24:
- National Cancer Institute (NCI)
- Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS)
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics (DCEG)
- Division of Cancer Prevention (DCP)
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS)
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
- NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR)
- NIH Office of Disease Prevention (ODP)
- National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
ASA24 is a registered trademark of HHS.