A comparison of gender differences in food portion sizes consumed by Irish adults during 1997 and 1999

Abstract

Increased energy intake has been linked to an increase in the portion sizes of foods consumed(1), and with little information available on portion size intakes in Irish adults, this analysis aims to demonstrate typical portions sizes from the last decade, which can later be compared to current data. Food portion size (g), defined as the weight of the food consumed per eating occasion was calculated from the North South Irish Food Consumption Survey (NSIFCS). The NSIFCS was a 7-d semi-weighed food record collected from 1379 free-living Irish adults aged 18-64 years, from 1997-1999. The foods most frequently consumed from the six food groups which had the greatest contribution to energy intake were selected for analysis, accounting for 70,678 of 217,886 eating occasions. Median and interquartile values are presented for the total population and stratified by gender. (Table presented) With the exception of processed meat products, potato products, yogurts and sweets (non-chocolate), men consumed significantly greater median portion sizes of all other food groups than women, which is similar to findings from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey on British adults(2). Data published(3) on the same cohort, as reported above, found a strong association between increased consumption of some food groups, including meat products and processed potato products and adiposity in total adults. This suggests that although men in general have significantly greater median portion sizes than women, both populations need to be active in consuming smaller portion sizes.