A systematic review of the evidence: the effects of portion size manipulation with children and portion education/training interventions on dietary intake with adults.

Background: Evidence shows that 3-5-year-old children undergo important physical and behavioral changes that include being affected by the amount of food they are served, with larger portions of food served resulting in greater dietary intake. This may be a key finding as researchers continue to identify effective treatments for the growing number of preschool children who are overweight or obese. Knowledge of the effects of varying portion sizes on young children's dietary intake is important; however, because parents of young children control the manner in which children are fed, educating parents regarding the estimation of portion sizes is an approach worth exploring as a way to affect the trajectory of their young child's weight gain.