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SEP and the Impact of Portion Size on Daily Energy Intake

Socioeconomic Position and the Effect of Portion Size Reduction: a 1-day Dietary Behaviour Experimental Study

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05173376
Enrollment
54
Registered
2021-12-29
Start date
2021-10-25
Completion date
2022-04-07
Last updated
2023-01-10

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Diet, Healthy, Eating Behavior, Obesity

Keywords

portion size, socio-economic position, eating behaviour

Brief summary

Reducing food portion size is a potential strategy to reduce energy intake. There is some evidence to suggest that individuals with lower socioeconomic position (SEP) intend to eat more from larger portions, suggesting that the effect of portion size on food intake might vary by SEP. However, no study has tested this by measuring actual food intake. This study examines whether reductions to the portion size of components of a main meal will reduce daily energy intake, and whether and how socioeconomic position (higher vs lower) moderates the portion size effect. In a crossover experiment, participants will be served all meals in the lab on two separate days, with the portion size of main meal components at lunch and dinner manipulated (i.e. smaller on one day vs larger on the other day). All other foods offered are identical. Food intake from the portion-manipulated lunch and dinner, as well as all other meal components (breakfast, dessert, seconds, snacks) will be measured, and any additional food consumed by the participant will be measured using self-report, giving total daily energy intake (kcal).

Detailed description

See attached protocol document.

Interventions

The intervention was administered via changing portion sizes of foods served to participants.

Sponsors

European Research Council
CollaboratorOTHER
University of Liverpool
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Female * UK (United Kingdom) residents, aged 18 or over * Fluent in English * willing to consume the test foods * Self report liking of test foods * BMI between 22.5 - 32.5kg2

Exclusion criteria

* taking medication which affects appetite * currently pregnant * history of eating disorders * currently on a diet to lose weight * food allergies, intolerances or specific dietary requirements (including being vegetarian or vegan) * participated in 2018 Mood Study * currently participating in another study where meals are provided

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Daily energy intake24 hours after intervention administeredTotal energy (kcal) consumed from breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, snackbox, and any self-reported additional foods.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Appetite24 hours after intervention administeredHunger and fullness sensations before and after laboratory-based meals (self-reported on visual analogue scales anchored at 0 'Not at all' and 100 'Extremely')
Moderate-vigorous physical activity24 hours after intervention administeredModerate-vigorous physical activity (recorded using wearable activity tracker), operationalised as active minutes/day (logged for activities with a metabolic equivalent of \>/3)

Countries

United Kingdom

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 11, 2026