Are food-related perceptions associated with meal portion size decisions? A cross-sectional study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to test a comprehensive model of meal portion size determinants consisting of sociodemographic, psychological and food-related variables, whilst controlling for hunger and thirst. Using cross-sectional nationally representative data collected in 2075 participants from the Island of Ireland (IoI) and Denmark (DK), eight separate hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the association between food-related variables and meal portion size (i.e. pizza, vegetable soup, chicken salad and a pork meal) within each country. Stepwise regressions were run with physiological control measures (hunger and thirst) entered in the first step, sociodemographic variables (sex, age, body mass index (BMI)) in the second step; psychological variables (cognitive restraint, uncontrolled eating, emotional eating, general health interest (GHI)) in the third step and food-related variables (expected fillingness, liking, expected healthfulness, food familiarity) in the fourth step. Sociodemographic variables accounted for 2-19% of the variance in meal portion sizes; psychological variables explained an additional 3-8%; and food-related variables explained an additional 2-12%. When all four variable groups were included in the regression models, liking and sometimes expected healthfulness was positively associated with meal portion size. The strongest association was for liking, which was statistically significant in both countries for all meal types. Whilst expected healthfulness was not associated with pizza portion size in either country, it was positively associated with meals that have a healthier image (vegetable soup; chicken salad and in IoI, the pork meal). In conclusion, after considering sociodemographic and psychological variables, and the food-related variables of liking and expected healthfulness, there may be little merit in manipulating the satiating power, at least of these type of meals, to maintain or promote weight loss.

Attribution of weight regain to emotional reasons amongst European adults with overweight and obesity who regained weight following a weight loss attempt

“…Willingness to report emotional difficulties in men may account for some of this difference [ 41 ], or, alternatively suggest that factors other than emotions play a larger role in binge eating in men. It is unclear why differences between countries emerged, although the pattern is consistent with previous findings that Danish females scored lower on a measure of eating disorder symptoms than indicated in US or international norms [ 42 ], and lower than Irish participants on an emotional eating scale [ 43 ].…”

The Impact of Nutrition and Health Claims on Consumer Perceptions and Portion Size Selection: Results from a Nationally Representative Survey

“…Current appetite status was measured using a seven-point scale for hunger (1 = not hungry at all, 7 = extremely hungry) and a similar scale for thirst (1 = not thirsty at all, 7 = extremely thirsty). These items were previously used in a portion size selection survey [ 28 ].…”

“…Similar to a previous portion size selection survey [ 28 ], to measure familiarity with each of the four types of food examined in the survey (cereal, soup, lasagne, yoghurt) respondents were asked how often they eat each food. Respondents selected from one of the following options: “Never”, “Less than once a year”, “Once or twice a year”, “Every few months”, “Once or twice a month”, “Once a week”, “A couple of/few times a week”, and “Daily”.…”

“…In addition to NHCs, other factors which have been found to influence consumers’ perceptions and intake or food selection include gender [ 24 , 25 ], age [ 25 ], socioeconomic status [ 26 ], education [ 27 ], familiarity with the food [ 28 ] and psychological variables including knowledge [ 29 ], cognitive restraint, uncontrolled eating, emotional eating, and general health interest [ 28 ].…”

Nutrients for Money: The Relationship between Portion Size, Nutrient Density and Consumer Choices

“…Personal norms were also larger for foods with a higher liking rating (β = 0.142, p < 0.001) [37]. Other studies have also confirmed that portion size norms are influenced by weight status and gender, as well as socio-demographics, childhood experiences and personal motivational factors including dietary restraint [38][39][40]. Further evidence suggests that individuals perceive a wide range of portion sizes related to a particular food to be the 'norm' , which suggests that significant confusion exist around estimating appropriate portion sizes [23].…”