Acceptance of portion size tools
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Acceptance of portion size tools amongst overweight individuals
IRAS ID
115251
Contact name
Eva Almiron-Roig
Contact email
Research summary
Eating large portions of certain foods has been linked with consuming too much energy and with weight gain. However there is little awareness of what constitutes an appropriate portion size. A variety of educational aids and tools have been created and used by the government, health care and commercial organisations to help with portion size control. Many of these materials provide information on food portions that is not food specific and are frequently based on photographs and drawings. It is thought that utensils that allow measuring of the actual food may work better, in particular if they contain visual marks of an appropriate portion. Examples include measuring cups and spoons, graduated bowls and glasses, and plates with sectors. The evidence behind the effectiveness of such tools is however very limited. This project will investigate the experience of overweight/obese individuals using two commercially available portion size tools and the impact on self-selected portions sizes for some foods. The study will be conducted in two phases. First a sample of 60 overweight volunteers will be asked to rank 4 commercially available tools in order of preference and the two most preferred tools will be identified for further investigation. Secondly, an independent sample of 75 individuals who have recently completed a weight-loss programme will be invited to try each of the 2 previously identified portion tools in random order, for 2 weeks at home. Using questionnaires we will collect data on the participant's liking of each portion control tool, perceived effectiveness and self-reported changes in selected portion sizes of certain foods. The results of this study will inform tool selection for future studies focused on portion size control strategies.
REC name
West Midlands - Edgbaston Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
12/WM/0426
Date of REC Opinion
13 Dec 2012
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion