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Iterative Development of an Innovative Smartphone-Based Dietary Assessment Tool: Traqq
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Literacy, numeracy, and portion-size estimation skills.

Mary Margaret Huizinga1, Adam J Carlisle, Kerri L Cavanaugh

  • 1Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA. mhuizin1@jhmi.edu

American Journal of Preventive Medicine
|March 17, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Accurate portion-size estimation is crucial for weight management. Poor literacy skills significantly impact the ability to accurately estimate food portions, suggesting literacy interventions could improve this skill.

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Area of Science:

  • Nutrition Science
  • Health Literacy
  • Obesity Research

Background:

  • Portion-size estimation is vital for effective weight management.
  • Literacy and numeracy skills are hypothesized to influence accurate portion estimation.
  • Poor estimation accuracy can hinder weight management efforts.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between literacy/numeracy skills and portion-size estimation accuracy.
  • To determine if low literacy or numeracy correlates with decreased accuracy in estimating food portions.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional study of primary care patients (N=164).
  • Assessed literacy and numeracy using validated measures (REALM, WRAT-3).
  • Participants estimated single servings and specified amounts for food/liquid items; accuracy defined as within +/-25% of standard.

Main Results:

  • Many participants (24% literacy, 67% numeracy) had below 9th-grade skills.
  • 65% accurately estimated single servings; 62% accurately estimated specified amounts.
  • Lower literacy was significantly associated with inaccurate single-serving estimation (OR=2.54).

Conclusions:

  • A significant portion of participants demonstrated poor portion-size estimation abilities.
  • Lower literacy skills were linked to reduced accuracy in estimating single servings.
  • Interventions targeting literacy may enhance portion-size estimation skills.