- Email: [email protected]
Heavier Trays, Heavier Meals
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior Volume 46, Number 4S, 2014 P135 (continued) about participants (number, age, disease state), program format, content (instructional techniques, group size, dose, frequency, duration, curricula, retention), and stated goals/ outcomes. Outcome, Measures and Analysis: Programs were scored across GENIE's nine categories. High scoring programs were defined as those within the top overall GENIE score quartile (n¼25) and low scoring programs were defined as those in the bottom overall GENIE score quartile (n¼25). Patterns in the presence or absence of quality criteria within high and low scoring programs were observed. Nine published programs are used to highlight each of GENIE's categories. Results: High scoring programs are more likely to include research-based program content and rigorous evaluation methodology, incorporate techniques to motivate participants, consider external influences on their behavior, and partner with other organizations to promote sustainability. Conclusions and Implications: Nutrition education developers can set their programs apart by including quality elements commonly found missing in published programs. Funding: ConAgra Foods Foundation
P136 Heavier Trays, Heavier Meals Aner Tal, PhD, [email protected], Cornell University, 38 Meadowlard Drive Lower, Ithaca, NY 14850; B. Wansink, PhD Objective: The studies aimed to determine whether carrying heavier trays leads to serving more food. Study Design, Setting, Participants, and Intervention: Participants carried trays varying in weight and served themselves food for immediate consumption. These were cups of snacks (carrots, donut holes, bagel pieces, and grapes) in study 1, and M&Ms, wheat thins, and baby carrots in study 2. Outcome, Measures and Analysis: We measures amount served of different foods, counting cups in study 1 and weight served in study 2. In both studies we used general linear model ANOVA. Results: In study 1 (N¼91), participants carrying heavy trays served themselves more small food servings (2.87) than did participants carrying light trays (2.36 cups), p ¼ .06. Interestingly, even heavier trays (double the added weight) eliminated the increase (2.36). In study 2 participants (N¼46) carried the same types of trays used in the last study. There was a significant effect of tray weight on amount served, when controlling for gender and its interaction with tray weight and item type, p ¼ .04. Participants picked more food (40.23 grams) with the medium weighed trays than with the light trays (30.55) or the doubleweighed trays (25.55). Conclusions and Implications: Burden appears to lead to increased serving of food, but extra burden eliminates these effects. It is possible that some burden reduces sensitivity to weight, allowing people to serve greater quantities
Poster Abstracts S161
of food without awareness. However, too great a burden can make carrying the trays difficult, and so reduces the amount served. Funding: Cornell University
P137 Observations From How Kid’s Meals and Happy Meals are Eaten: Fast Food Opportunities to Help Children Eat Healthier Brian Wansink, PhD, [email protected], Cornell University, 100 Warren Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853; A. S. Hanks, PhD; K. Stein, BS, JD Objective: Can observing how children eat a child's meal at fast food restaurants offer insights as to how to design a healthier meal that is more nutritious or has fewer calories? Study Design, Setting, Participants, and Intervention: Using validated observation procedures and coding methods (e.g., Wansink and Payne 2007), 104 children (and their adult companions) were observed in 2008 while eating Happy Meals at 14 different McDonalds in 6 different states. Outcome, Measures and Analysis: The percentage of each uneaten meal component was estimated using the quarter waste method, and their eating speed was timed. Results: The average child ate about 32% of their French fries (14.9 fries) and approximately 83% of their entree. Older children ate slightly more than younger children (p <.01), and boys ate slightly more that girls (p<.01). Only 23% of what they ate was eaten once they opened the toy that was included in the meal. Of the remaining food, 83% of the French fries and 27% of the entree was eaten by the adult companion. Conclusions and Implications: Reducing the serving size of some of the food items in a child's meal may be an easy way for fast food restaurants to cut calories without reducing satisfaction among children. In particular, the serving size of French Fries may be able to be reduced by 50-60% (approximately 100 calories). An unanticipated question is whether such a reduction in the size of French fries would influence what their adult companion might otherwise order. Funding: None
P138 Barriers, Facilitators, and Interventions for Tofu Adoption Among Future Nutritional Gatekeepers Brian Wansink, PhD, [email protected], Cornell University, 114 Warren Hall, Ithaca, NY, 14853; E. Pope, PhD, RD; M. Shimizu, PhD; A. Brumberg, BS Objective: Although soy foods are generally considered as healthful and sustainable, tofu is unfamiliar and irregularly eaten by most Westerners. To begin encouraging a wider adoption of tofu among non-Asian, non-vegetarians, this research examines what factors impact the adoption of tofu by future nutritional gatekeepers. Continued on page S162
P136 Heavier Trays, Heavier Meals Aner Tal, PhD, [email protected], Cornell University, 38 Meadowlard Drive Lower, Ithaca, NY 14850; B. Wansink, PhD Objective: The studies aimed to determine whether carrying heavier trays leads to serving more food. Study Design, Setting, Participants, and Intervention: Participants carried trays varying in weight and served themselves food for immediate consumption. These were cups of snacks (carrots, donut holes, bagel pieces, and grapes) in study 1, and M&Ms, wheat thins, and baby carrots in study 2. Outcome, Measures and Analysis: We measures amount served of different foods, counting cups in study 1 and weight served in study 2. In both studies we used general linear model ANOVA. Results: In study 1 (N¼91), participants carrying heavy trays served themselves more small food servings (2.87) than did participants carrying light trays (2.36 cups), p ¼ .06. Interestingly, even heavier trays (double the added weight) eliminated the increase (2.36). In study 2 participants (N¼46) carried the same types of trays used in the last study. There was a significant effect of tray weight on amount served, when controlling for gender and its interaction with tray weight and item type, p ¼ .04. Participants picked more food (40.23 grams) with the medium weighed trays than with the light trays (30.55) or the doubleweighed trays (25.55). Conclusions and Implications: Burden appears to lead to increased serving of food, but extra burden eliminates these effects. It is possible that some burden reduces sensitivity to weight, allowing people to serve greater quantities
Poster Abstracts S161
of food without awareness. However, too great a burden can make carrying the trays difficult, and so reduces the amount served. Funding: Cornell University
P137 Observations From How Kid’s Meals and Happy Meals are Eaten: Fast Food Opportunities to Help Children Eat Healthier Brian Wansink, PhD, [email protected], Cornell University, 100 Warren Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853; A. S. Hanks, PhD; K. Stein, BS, JD Objective: Can observing how children eat a child's meal at fast food restaurants offer insights as to how to design a healthier meal that is more nutritious or has fewer calories? Study Design, Setting, Participants, and Intervention: Using validated observation procedures and coding methods (e.g., Wansink and Payne 2007), 104 children (and their adult companions) were observed in 2008 while eating Happy Meals at 14 different McDonalds in 6 different states. Outcome, Measures and Analysis: The percentage of each uneaten meal component was estimated using the quarter waste method, and their eating speed was timed. Results: The average child ate about 32% of their French fries (14.9 fries) and approximately 83% of their entree. Older children ate slightly more than younger children (p <.01), and boys ate slightly more that girls (p<.01). Only 23% of what they ate was eaten once they opened the toy that was included in the meal. Of the remaining food, 83% of the French fries and 27% of the entree was eaten by the adult companion. Conclusions and Implications: Reducing the serving size of some of the food items in a child's meal may be an easy way for fast food restaurants to cut calories without reducing satisfaction among children. In particular, the serving size of French Fries may be able to be reduced by 50-60% (approximately 100 calories). An unanticipated question is whether such a reduction in the size of French fries would influence what their adult companion might otherwise order. Funding: None
P138 Barriers, Facilitators, and Interventions for Tofu Adoption Among Future Nutritional Gatekeepers Brian Wansink, PhD, [email protected], Cornell University, 114 Warren Hall, Ithaca, NY, 14853; E. Pope, PhD, RD; M. Shimizu, PhD; A. Brumberg, BS Objective: Although soy foods are generally considered as healthful and sustainable, tofu is unfamiliar and irregularly eaten by most Westerners. To begin encouraging a wider adoption of tofu among non-Asian, non-vegetarians, this research examines what factors impact the adoption of tofu by future nutritional gatekeepers. Continued on page S162