Dissertations and Theses @ UNI
Availability
Open Access Thesis
Keywords
Food portions; Food consumption -- Social aspects; Food supply; Diet;
Abstract
Overweight and obesity is a growing epidemic among adults, adolescents, and children in the United States. Since 1980, rates of obesity have doubled among adults and tripled among children, and college students are not immune to this trend. This may be due, in part, to portion sizes that exceed individuals' caloric needs. Although many studies have demonstrated that people's food consumption is highly influenced by environmental factors ( e.g., the size of a portion that is given), there has been very little theoretical work exploring the reasons for this influence. To determine if portion size would affect consumption when a facilitating social cue was given, in the following study, cue and portion size were manipulated in a college classroom setting. Contrary to previous studies and our hypothesis, findings suggest that portion size did not have an effect on consumption in any condition. Nevertheless, as supported by previous research, the results maintain the idea that a facilitative social cue can have a significant effect on the amount of food college students consume and/or self-serve no matter the size of the portion of food presented or other social variables that may have been present. However, it is still not clear whether portion size affects consumption in a natural social setting. More research examining the effects of social norms on portion size in a social setting versus a more restricted setting is suggested. A greater understanding of the reasons that underlie food consumption, specifically with respect to factors related to portions sizes, social influences, and social norms will help in designing modifications of food presentations intended to help people moderate their food consumption.
Year of Submission
2011
Degree Name
Specialist in Education
Department
Department of Educational Psychology and Foundations
First Advisor
Elana Joram
Date Original
2011
Object Description
1 PDF file (vi, 54 pages)
Copyright
©2011 Denise Eslinger
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Eslinger, Denise, "Effects of environmental variables on food consumption" (2011). Dissertations and Theses @ UNI. 385.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd/385
Comments
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