Childhood Obesity: Using Smaller Plates May Help
April 10, 2013The prevalence of childhood obesity in the United States is staggering. Approximately one in five of our children are overweight or obese. Tackling and understanding childhood obesity is more important than ever and many researchers and educators are busy trying to find answers and solutions.
We know one simple fact: childhood obesity often leads to adult obesity.
In a study recently published in the journal Pediatrics, researchers indicate one simple but only partial solution that may help: give your children smaller plates. The study included 42 Philadelphia first-graders who for eight days were allowed to serve themselves at a buffet set up by the researchers. On four of the days, the children were given child-size plates and on four other days, they used adult-size plates.
Researchers weighed the children's plates before and after their lunch. The children were found to have served themselves more calories and therefore to have consumed more calories when using the adult-size plate instead of a child-size plate. Previous studies have shown similar results for adults but the importance of the study including the children should not be lost in the knowledge that it's easier to change the eating habits of children than those of adults.
Knowing that the size of the plates our children use influences their eating behaviors, practicing and teaching about portion control when our children are young is one measure we can take to help curb childhood obesity. And serving our children kid-sized portions on kid-sized plates should be standard practice.