Obese Diners Choose Convenience And Overeating At Chinese Buffets

Main Category: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness
Also Included In: Nutrition / Diet
Article Date: 06 Oct 2008 - 9:00 PDT

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When dining at Chinese Buffets, overweight individuals serve themselves and eat differently than normal weight individuals. This may lead them to overeat, according to a recent study by Cornell University's Food and Brand Lab. Compared to normal weight diners, overweight individuals sat 16 feet closer to the buffet, faced the food, used larger plates, ate with forks instead of chopsticks, and served themselves immediately instead of browsing the buffet.

"What's crazy is that these people are generally unaware of what they're doing - they're unaware of sitting closer, facing the food, chewing less, and so on," say Brian Wanink, lead author of this study and of the book "Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think."

The study was published in the journal Obesity and includes observations of 213 diners at 11 all-you-can-eat Chinese restaurant buffets across the country. Study participants included a range of normal weight to obese diners, none of whom were Asian. Major study findings include:

- 27% of normal-weight patrons faced the buffet compared to 42% of obese diners.

- Overweight diners sat an average of 16 feet closer than normal-weight diners.

- 16% of obese diners sat at a booth rather than a table compared to 38% of normal weight diners

- 71% of normal-weight diners browsed the buffet before serving themselves compared to 33% of obese diners

- 24% of normal-weight people used chopsticks compared with 9% of overweight people

"When food is more convenient people tend to eat more," say coauthor Collin R. Payne, New Mexico State University.

"These seemingly subtle differences in behavior and environment may cause people to overeat without even realizing it."

The Cornell University Food & Brand Lab was created and is maintained by the Food and Brand Lab which was founded at the University of Illinois in 1992 by Professor Brian Wansink and moved to Cornell University in 2005. The Food and Brand Lab is an interdisciplinary group of graduate and undergraduate students from psychology, food science, marketing, agricultural economics, human nutrition, education, history, library science, and journalism along with a number of affiliated faculty.

Our research is independently funded by grants and consumer groups. It all focuses on better understanding consumers and how they relate to foods and packaged foods.

Research from the lab has been reported in dozens of magazines along with coverage on CNN, 20/20, ABC News, NBC News, and on the front page of the Wall Street Journal and USA Today.

Cornell University Food & Brand Lab