The Influence of the Provision of a To-go Container on the Portion Size Effect in Women

This study investigated whether the provision of a to-go container influenced the portion size effect at a meal. Following a screening visit, women came to the lab once a week for 4 weeks to eat a meal of multiple foods. At each visit, the portion size of the meal was varied in a counterbalanced order. Prior to their first meal, women were randomly assigned to one of two groups: a group that would have their leftovers packaged to go (to-go group) and a group that did not have leftovers packaged (control group). Women were instructed to eat ad libitum at the meals. They also answered questions about hunger and fullness as well as food characteristics before and after each meal. Following the final meal, subjects completed a series of questionnaires assessing subject characteristics as well as food characteristics. It was hypothesized that the effect of portion size on intake would be attenuated in subjects who received a to-go container with the meal. In addition, we aimed to identify any subject characteristics that moderated or exacerbated the portion size effect. It was also of interest to determine whether the portion size effect on individual foods were influenced by food characteristics such as perceived value.