We invited the public to take part in a study about the interactions between food portion sizes and people’s perceptions of them, as research has demonstrated that controlling portion sizes is a key contributor to obesity.
Focus group members were also asked about their opinions on different research methods such as completing questionnaires and being filmed while eating food. As expected, participants reported satisfaction after eating a cake, mainly due to hunger.
A key research question we asked was whether there was a difference in how participants felt while eating a small or large portion of cake in café. We found that:
- Participants that chose a small cake liked the cake more than those who chose a regular portion size. They also felt more satisfied after eating the cake.
- Feeling hungry was an important factor in choosing portion size
- Participants expect to feel calm, good and satisfied after eating a cake