Evaluation of portion size estimation aids used for meat in dietary surveys

In three studies, individuals used various PSEAs (bean bag, peg board, rule r, sausage diagram, and size grid) to estimate portion sizes for three diff erent categories of meat (intact cuts of meat, ribs, and link-type sausages ). For intact cuts of meat, individuals generally were able to estimate len gth and width accurately, but had more difficulty estimating thickness rega rdless of the PSEA used. For ribs, while no PSEA provided an average estima tion error less than +40%, a correlation existed between the portion size a nd average perceived size category (r = +0.89). For link-type sausage porti ons, a sausage diagram provided average estimations within 15%, decreased t he variability of individual errors when compared to a ruler, and was used more frequently than any other PSEA. Results indicate that using PSEAs in c onjunction with other estimation strategies for portion estimation is likel y to be an effective way to collect consumption data for meats in large-sca le dietary surveys. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.