Rosenthal R, et al. – This study gauged the impact of television watching and portion size on intake during a meal. There did not appear to be any marked effect of television watching or interaction of television watching and portion size. In order to lower the intake, smaller portion sizes ought to be implemented in all types of eating scenarios.

Methods

• The plan of this research was a 4 × 2 × 2 mixed factorial design, with a between-subjects factor of order of conditions and within-subjects factors of television watching (NO TV and TV) and portion size (SMALL and LARGE).
• This study assessed the independent effects and interaction of these factors in seventeen women and three men (21.6 ± 2.3 kg/m², 22.3 ± 3.7 years, 80% white and 95% non-Hispanic).
• In each condition, candidates were given 30 min to eat a meal containing macaroni and cheese and salad with dressing.
• For No TV, participants sat for 30 min while eating.
• In contrast, for TV, participants viewed a 30-min show containing no food cues while eating.

Results

• In SMALL the meal provided 1083 kcal, while in LARGE the meal provided 200% of SMALL.
• Mixed factorial analysis of variance exhibited a notable main effect of portion size on grams and energy consumed of the total meal.
• Candidates consumed more grams (577.9 ± 150.5 g vs. 453.1 ± 96.6 g; p < 0.001) and energy (903.9 ± 270.4 kcal vs. 734.6 ± 187.1 kcal; p < 0.001) in LARGE as compared to SMALL.