Adult male equivalent (AME)

Definition

The energy intake of each family member in proportion to the energy intake of an adult male. It is typically used with surveys that provide information on apparent intake. The AME of an adult male is always assumed to be 1. Although it varies among authors, a child aged 2–3 years is about 0.37 AME, and an adult woman (18–29 years), neither pregnant nor lactating, is about 0.74 AME. For pregnant and lactating women energy intake is around 1 AME. The AME approach is often used to provide information on consumption when apparent intake is calculated through indirect means such as national balance sheets, household economic surveys, and similar methods that do not collect food intake information directly from individuals but through secondary analysis of reports of food availability, access, and acquisition.