title: The impact of image-size manipulation and sugar content on children's cereal consumption.
abstract: Previous studies have demonstrated that portion sizes and food energy-density influence children's eating behavior. However, the potential effects of front-of-pack image-sizes of serving suggestions and sugar content have not been tested. Using a mixed experimental design among young children, this study examines the effects of image-size manipulation and sugar content on cereal and milk consumption. Children poured and consumed significantly more cereal and drank significantly more milk when exposed to a larger sized image of serving suggestion as compared to a smaller image-size. Sugar content showed no main effects. Nevertheless, cereal consumption only differed significantly between small and large image-sizes when sugar content was low. An advantage of this study was the mundane setting in which the data were collected: a school's dining room instead of an artificial lab. Future studies should include a control condition, with children eating by themselves to reflect an even more natural context.
authors.affiliation: KU Leuven, Institute for Media Studies, Parkstraat 45 - Box 3603, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium. Electronic address: Evy.neyens@soc.kuleuven.be.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Neyens
authors.affiliation: KU Leuven, Institute for Media Studies, Parkstraat 45 - Box 3603, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Aerts
authors.affiliation: KU Leuven, Institute for Media Studies, Parkstraat 45 - Box 3603, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Smits
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019422:Dietary Sucrose; D004435:Eating / Q000523:psychology*; D002523:Edible Grain; D002149:Energy Intake; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005515:Food Labeling / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement; D008297:Male; D008892:Milk; D064787:Portion Size / Q000523:psychology*
chemical_list: D019422:Dietary Sucrose
keywords: Advertising; Cereal intake; Children; Consumption; Front-of-pack marketing; Image-size manipulation