When do children learn how to select a portion size?

Jennifer S. Cox, Elanor C. Hinton*, Sarah Sauchelli, Julian P. Hamilton-Shield, Natalia S. Lawrence, Jeffrey M. Brunstrom

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (Academic Journal)peer-review

7 Citations (Scopus)
101 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

The reduction of portion sizes supports weight-loss. This study looks at whether children have a conceptual understanding of portion size, by studying their ability to manually serve a portion size that corresponds to what they eat. In a clinical setting, discussion around portion size is subjective thus a computerised portion size tool is also trialled, with the portion sizes chosen on the screen being compared to amounts served manually. Children (n=76) age 5-6, 7-8 and 10-11 were asked to rate their hunger (VAS scale), liking (VAS scale) and ‘ideal portion size for lunch’ of eight interactive meal images using a computerised portion size tool. Children then manually self-served and consumed a portion of pasta. Plates were weighed to allow for the calculation of calories served and eaten. A positive correlation was found between manually served food portions and the amount eaten (r =.53, 95%CI [.34, .82, P<.001), indicating that many children were able to anticipate their likely food intake prior to meal onset. A regression model demonstrates that age contributes to 9.4% of the variance in portion size accuracy (t(68)= -2.3, p=.02). There was no relationship between portion size and either hunger or liking. The portion sizes chosen on the computer at lunchtime correlated to the amount manually served overall (r=.34, 95%CI [.07, .55], p<.01), but not in 5-6-year-old children. Manual portion-size selection can be observed in five-year olds and from age seven, children’s ‘virtual’ responses correlate with their manual portion selections. The application of the computerised portion-size tool requires further development but offers considerable potential.
Original languageEnglish
Article number105247
Number of pages7
JournalAppetite
Volume164
Early online date2 Apr 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Sept 2021

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Author's would like to acknowledge Alex Mitchell and Fiona Kinnear for their support with data collection, and Paediatric Dietician Shelley Easter for her support with meal choices for the computerised tool. Author's would like to acknowledge the pupils, parents and teachers of school involved for their engagement with this research.

Funding Information:
This study was funded by the MRC GW4 doctoral training programme grant held by JC. This work was supported by researchers funded by the NIHR Bristol Biomedical research centre, Nutrition theme. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021

Research Groups and Themes

  • Nutrition and Behaviour
  • Physical and Mental Health

Keywords

  • Children
  • Eating behaviour
  • Plate clearing
  • Portion size
  • Pre-meal planning

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