Techniques for the experimental measurement of human eating behaviour and food intake: a practical guide

Abstract

Objective: Increases in the prevalence of overweight and obesity strengthen the importance of understanding human eating behaviour. A variety of methodologies and strategies have been devised during the last three decades with the intention of placing human food consumption under experimental scrutiny. The purpose of this review is to examine their diversity, their usage, and their strengths and limitations.

Content of review: It is argued that meaningful research should be conducted within an explicit theoretical framework and with an awareness of how the methodological context influences instrument use and data interpretation. Techniques describing and quantifying the act of eating, the food consumed and the disposition to eat are reviewed.

Conclusion: A strong and comprehensive methodology devised to measure the various components of eating behaviour is essential to achieve an understanding of the underlying causal mechanisms. A practical guide such as this should encourage further research and the construction of novel and more powerful procedures to elucidate appetite control and its failure.