Data_Sheet_2_Gender, Age, Hunger, and Body Mass Index as Factors Influencing Portion Size Estimation and Ideal Portion Sizes.PDF

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.

餐食分量正逐渐增大，这是肥胖发病的重要诱因之一。目前针对体重对餐食分量偏好的影响相关研究尚且较少。因此，本研究旨在评估体重指数（Body Mass Index, BMI）及其他选定因素是否会对食物分量重量的估算以及对分量大小的主观感知产生影响。第一项研究通过线上问卷要求参与者估算图片中食物的重量；第二项研究中，参与者需说明所展示的不同餐食的可变分量与他们现实生活中实际食用的分量之间的对应关系。第一项与第二项研究的统计分析分别纳入了725名与436名参与者。BMI与性别对食物重量的估算能力影响较小。影响餐食分量选择的主要预测因素为性别：男性认定的理想餐食分量大于女性。此外，年龄、饥饿感，以及外部诱因型进食与限制性进食行为，均为影响餐食分量选择的关键因素。如预期所示，外部驱动型进食者会选择更大的分量，而限制性进食者则选择更小的分量。餐食分量偏好中与性别和年龄相关的差异，大概率反映了不同的能量需求。BMI较高的人群在分量相关偏好上与其他BMI组别并无显著差异。因此，餐食频率、零食摄入或生活方式等其他因素，可能对超重的发生、发展与维持起到更关键的作用。