title: Forefronts in portion size. An overview and synthesis of a roundtable discussion.
abstract: Establishing eating habits in early life that include appropriate portion sizes of foods which are nutrient dense and low in energy density is considered important in the prevention of obesity in children. This special supplement presents the proceedings of a symposium focusing on advances in scientific understanding of the development of healthy food portion sizes in children and their families. Recent basic research highlights individual differences in children's responsiveness to portion size as well as potential mechanisms of portion size effects. Quantitative approaches highlight the influence of maternal serving in determining intake, while qualitative approaches seek to elaborate caregiver decisions around child portion sizes at meals and snacks. Family-based environmental interventions for child weight control involving food portion size are outlined. An overview of the overarching issues and roundtable discussion on the forefronts of portion size research are presented as well as policy considerations to promote healthy portion control.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Center for Obesity Research and Education, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: J O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.affiliation: Departments of Preventive Medicine, Physiology and Biophysics, and Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Electronic address: goran@usc.edu.
authors.forename: M I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Goran
authors.affiliation: SR Strategy, Washington, DC, USA; Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rowe
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Leeds, Leeds, England, UK.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Hetherington
mesh_terms: D003226:Congresses as Topic; D006801:Humans; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control; D064787:Portion Size
keywords: Children; Consumer impact; Families; Portion size; Prevention