The role of societal norms in portion size related behaviour in Denmark and on the Island of Ireland

Purpose:<br/>Social norms influence eating behavior, but little is known about their role in portion size-related behavior. This study<br/>explored the role of social eating norms in Denmark (DK) and the Island of Ireland (IOI) in relation to portion size-related<br/>behavior. <br/><br/>Methods:<br/>In a survey DK (n=1063) and IOI (n=1012) respondents rated social eating norms (11 items) and portion size-related behavior<br/>(3 items) on a 7-point scale (1=strongly disagree to 7=strongly agree). The 3 items relate to: 1) anticipating how<br/>much will be eaten at the beginning of a meal, 2) clearing the plate, and 3) clearing the plate even when full. Sociodemographics<br/>and eating attitudes (e.g. cognitive restraint) were measured as background variables<br/><br/>Results:<br/>Two social eating factors were identified: The ‘limit intake’ norm (6 items) and the ‘plate cleaning’ norm (3 items). The<br/>DK participants reported stronger ‘limit intake’ norms and weaker ‘plate cleaning’ norms than IOI. In both countries<br/>females reported stronger ‘limit intake’ norms while males reported stronger ‘plate cleaning’ norms. In DK, age was<br/>positively correlated with both social eating norm factors. The ‘limit intake’ norm had stronger association with anticipating<br/>how much will be eaten at the beginning of a meal, but the ‘plate cleaning’ norm had stronger association with<br/>clearing the plate. Only the ‘plate cleaning’ norm was associated with clearing the plate even when full.<br/><br/>Conclusions:<br/>The social eating norms vary significantly between countries and genders. The ‘limit intake’ and ‘plate cleaning’ norms<br/>play a role in consumers’ reported portion size-related behavior.