Gender, Age, Hunger, and Body Mass Index as Factors Influencing Portion Size Estimation and Ideal Portion Sizes

Abstract

Portion sizes of meals have been becoming progressively larger which contributes to the onset of obesity. So far, little research has been done on the influence of body weight on portion size preferences. Therefore, we assessed whether Body Mass Index (BMI), as well as other selected factors, contribute to the estimation of food portions weight and the subjective perception of portion sizes. Through online questionnaires, the participants were asked to estimate the weight of pictured foods in the first study. In the second study, the participants indicated how the depicted varying portion sizes of different meals relate to their actual consumed real-life portion sizes. A total of 725 and 436 individuals were included in the statistical analysis in the first and second study, respectively. BMI and gender had a small effect on the capacity to estimate the weight of foods. The main predictor for portion size choices was the factor gender with men estimating ideal portion sizes as larger than women. Further, age and hunger together with external and restrictive eating behaviors were among the deciding factors for portion size choices. As expected, externally motivated eaters chose bigger portions while restrictive individual smaller ones. Gender- and age-related differences in portion size preferences likely reflect distinct energy requirements. The individuals with a higher BMI do not differ strongly from other BMI groups in their portion-related preferences. Therefore, other factors such as meal frequency, snacking, or a lifestyle, may contribute more to the onset, development, and maintenance of overweight.

Are weight control and food waste a trade-off?: A clustering of appropriate amount of food choice and plate-clearing behaviors among Japanese adult consumers

“…Some of the participants in the HA*LP group may have had incorrect perceptions of their own appropriate portion size to maintain their health. In a previous study, female participants who had a low BMI and higher scores for restrained eating tended to estimate lower portion sizes 22 . The results suggest that to achieve both weight control and food waste reduction, it is necessary to promote education to correctly recognize the appropriate amount of food for oneself, as well as to promote ACBs and PCBs from the perspective of improving individual and global health.…”

Use of digital food records in clinical settings - lessons in translation from a randomised controlled trial

“…In this study, no participant characteristic data was associated with type and frequency of errors. There appears to be a strong association between sex and correct estimation of food portion sizes, with men estimating less accurately than women (30,31,32). The literature also indicates that other characteristics of participants including age, education, eating habits and body weight status can impact the accuracy of food recall (30,31).…”

Determinants of Fish Intake and Complying with Fish Consumption Recommendations—A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study among Secondary School Students in Poland

“…This is very much in line with the results from the German EsKiMo study according to which boys also consumed 50% more than girls—the median weekly intake among boys was 42 g, while among girls 28 g [ 53 ]. The higher fish intake among males, even though many studies indicate that women often have healthier food choices than men [ 54 , 55 , 56 ], might be due to the fact that men simply consume bigger food portions [ 57 , 58 ] and more energy [ 59 ], but also more animal protein [ 60 ] than women.…”