Intake Promoting Effects of Large Portions in Children

描述（由申请人提供）：2010年健康人的目标是6-11岁儿童超重5%（目标19-3a）。然而，这一主要健康指标与公共卫生目标的距离越来越远，目前有15%的美国儿童超重。儿童中出现的超重流行病突出表明有必要查明造成影响的环境因素。在家庭内外的市场趋势中，过量和不断增长的食物份量加强了人们的担忧，即大份量可能会直接导致过量摄入，从而导致这个问题。然而，关于食物份量对儿童饮食影响的实证调查却极为有限。两项设计相似的研究提供了初步证据，证明主菜的大份量会刺激正餐的消耗。然而，份量大小对饮食影响的范围和性质仍不清楚；对摄入的影响是否在食物、能量密度和偏好上都是普遍存在的尚不清楚，大份量导致过量摄入的平均值也不清楚。对公共卫生特别有意义的是，大份量饮食是否会影响儿童对加糖饮料、水果和蔬菜以及高能量食物的摄入。拟议的研究包括一系列四个实验，旨在解决五个广泛的目标。前三个实验将通过以下评估来评估份量效应的范围：(1)份量对儿童含糖饮料消费的影响；（二）份量大小对儿童蔬果摄入量的影响，以及这种影响是否会受到儿童蔬果偏好的调节；(3)食物的能量密度是否与份量大小叠加影响儿童的能量消耗。第四个实验将通过调查：(1)份量对进食时间和速度以及咬的大小和频率的影响，以及(2)盘子大小对儿童对大份量食物反应的影响，来确定大份量食物可能促进过量摄入的机制。拟议的调查通过启动一系列短期研究系统地评估份量对幼儿热量摄入的影响，直接解决了NIH PA-04-033“饮食组成和能量平衡”的目标。这项研究将产生新的数据来阐明这种潜在的肥胖影响的公共卫生意义。这一基本行为调查的结果可以用来为设计关于份量对儿童能量消耗和体重影响的长期研究提供信息。此外，这些基础研究结果也可用于制定干预措施，旨在改变幼儿环境中潜在的肥胖因素。最后，研究结果将为幼儿父母提供关于适当份量的预期指导提供科学依据。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Healthy People 2010 target for overweight among 6-11 year old children is five percent (Objective 19-3a). This leading health indicator, however, is moving at increasing distance from public health goals with 15 percent of US children currently overweight. The emerging epidemic of overweight among children underscores the need to identify contributing environmental factors. Marketplace trends for excessive and growing portion sizes in and outside the home have reinforced concerns that large portions may directly contribute to this problem by promoting excessive intake. Empirical investigation of portion size effects on children's eating, however, has been extremely limited. Two similarly designed studies provided initial evidence that serving large portions of an entree stimulated consumption at meals. However, the scope and nature of portion size influences on eating remain unclear; whether effects on intake generalize across foods, energy density and preference is unknown as is the mean(s) by which large portions cause excessive intake. Of particular public health interest is whether serving large portions may affect children's intake of sweetened beverages, fruits and vegetables, and energy dense foods. The proposed research involves a series of four experiments designed to address five broad aims. The first three experiments will evaluate scope of portion size effects by evaluating: (1) the effect of portion size on children's consumption of sweetened beverages; (2) the effect of portion size on children's intake of fruits and vegetables (FV) and whether such effects are moderated by children's FV preferences and; (3) whether the energy density of foods acts additively with portion size to affect children's energy consumption. A fourth experiment will begin to identify mechanisms by which large portions may promote excessive intake by investigating: (1) the effect of portion size on eating duration and rate as well as bite size and frequency and (2) the effects of plate size on children's response to large portions. The proposed investigation directly addresses the objectives of NIH PA-04-033, Diet Composition and Energy Balance, by initiating a series of short-term studies to systematically evaluate the effects of portion size on caloric intake in young children. This research will produce new data to clarify the public health significance of this potentially obesigenic influence. The results of this basic behavioral investigation may be used to inform the design of long-term studies on the effects of portion size on children's energy consumption and weight. Further, these basic research findings may also be used to develop interventions aimed at modifying potentially obesigenic aspects of young children's environments. Finally, findings will provide a scientific basis for anticipatory guidance to parents of young children regarding appropriate portion size.