The development and evaluation of a portion plate for youth: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE To develop and evaluate a portion plate for adolescents (Nutri-plate). METHODS Sixteen African American adolescents (mean age = 12.94 years; 66% male) were randomized to participate in either plate design or nutrition education sessions. Adolescents' input was used to create the Nutri-plate, and participants' food selection and intake was evaluated. RESULTS Adolescents indicated the plate should include simple yet colorful visual and textual information about healthful eating. Participants left less food on their plate when dining with the Nutri-plate as compared with a plain plate (P < .01). Examination of effect sizes suggested that when using the Nutri-plate, participants selected less food overall (d = 0.73), more fruit (d = -0.64), more broccoli au gratin (d = -0.85), and less steamed broccoli (d = 0.87). Participants with higher body mass index selected a greater amount of healthful food when using the Nutri-plate (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Further evaluation is needed to determine the influence of a portion plate on adolescents' nutritional behaviors.