Birch Leann L, Savage Jennifer S, Fisher Jennifer Orlet
Department of Foods and Nutrition, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
Center for Childhood Obesity Research, Department of Nutritional Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
Appetite. 2015 May;88:11-6. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2014.11.021. Epub 2014 Nov 20.
Experimental findings provide consistent evidence that increasing the portion size of palatable, energy dense entrees relative to an age appropriate reference portion increases children's energy intake of the entree and the meal. Most of these studies have been conducted on preschool aged children between 2 and 6 years of age, in childcare or laboratory settings, using repeated measures designs. In these studies, children's intake is compared across a series of meals, where the size of the entrée portion is varied and other aspects of the meal, including the portion size of other items on the menu, are held constant. This paper provides an overview of what we know from this research, what is not known about the effects of portion size on children's intake and weight status, and points to some of the important unanswered questions and gaps in the literature. Lastly, we discuss how individual characteristics may make someone more or less susceptible to large portions of foods and how the palatability of foods may moderate observed associations among portion size, children's intake, and weight status. Future studies that address the gaps identified in this paper are needed to inform policy and to develop effective and efficient interventions to prevent childhood obesity.
实验结果提供了一致的证据，即与适合年龄的参考份量相比，增加美味、能量密集主菜的份量会增加儿童对主菜和一餐的能量摄入量。这些研究大多针对2至6岁的学龄前儿童，在儿童保育机构或实验室环境中进行，采用重复测量设计。在这些研究中，会在一系列餐食中比较儿童的摄入量，主菜份量会有所变化，而餐食的其他方面，包括菜单上其他菜品的份量，则保持不变。本文概述了我们从这项研究中所了解的情况，关于份量大小对儿童摄入量和体重状况的影响尚不清楚的方面，并指出了一些重要的未解决问题和文献中的空白。最后，我们讨论个体特征如何可能使某人对大量食物更易或不易受影响，以及食物的适口性如何可能调节在份量大小、儿童摄入量和体重状况之间观察到的关联。需要开展未来研究来填补本文中确定的空白，以为政策提供信息，并制定有效且高效的干预措施来预防儿童肥胖。
