Supersized: Can Teenagers Measure Serving Sizes?

Overview

Objectives/Goals My project was to determine whether teenagers can accurately measure one USDA recommended serving size of milk and cereal. Methods/Materials Collected Informed Consent Forms from 31 participants with ages ranging from 12 to 18, of which 19 were girls and 12 were boys. Each participant completed a survey testing their knowledge of serving sizes and their nutritional habits. Each participant was then directed to pour one USDA serving size of cereal into Bowl 1 (12 oz) and then again into Bowl 2 (24 oz). Each participant was then directed to pour one USDA serving size of milk into Cup 1 (9 oz) and then again into Cup 2 (18 oz). I measured and recorded the contents of each container. I compared the data collected to the amount recommended by the USDA as one serving size. Results From the survey, participants were pretty good at estimating the number of calories in a serving size of cereal and milk. They overestimated number of cups of milk and cereal in a USDA recommended serving size. Participants , on average, poured one USDA recommended serving size of cereal correctly into Bowl 1 (the smaller bowl) and, on average, overestimated one serving size by 25% with Bowl 2 (the larger bowl). Participants, on average, underestimated a serving size by 23% with Cup 1 (the smaller cup) and underestimated one serving size of milk by 8% with Cup 2 (the larger cup). Generally, males were likely to pour more than females. Conclusions/Discussion Teenagers are confused when it comes to understanding serving sizes. First, they overestimate by a lot when asked what a serving size is. Second, they don#t pour what they estimate a serving size to be. Third, the amount they pour seems to be influenced by the size of the container they are pouring into.

Competition history

• CSEF 2012 Behavioral & Social Sciences · Entry J0422

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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