“Our outcomes recommend that individuals might eat extra in a eating space with direct view of and entry to the serving space, versus a separate eating house,” Rollings mentioned.
Within the research, Rollings and her collaborator Nancy Wells, an environmental psychologist from Cornell College, noticed the consuming behaviors of 57 school college students.
The scholars accomplished two eating periods at Cornell’s Meals and Model Lab, the place they have been served buffet-style meals. For one meal, the scholars had a direct view of and entry to the meals serving space (the open plan). For the opposite meal, two wood folding screens have been positioned between the eating desk and kitchen (the closed plan).
On common, individuals within the open situation made about 10 % extra serving journeys than individuals within the closed situation, Rollings mentioned.
Every time the scholars bought as much as get extra meals, they ended up consuming a mean of 170 energy extra within the open setting in comparison with the closed ground plan.
Rollings warned that these extra energy may add as much as additional weight acquire.
“With a purpose to scale back meals consumption, outcomes recommend that serving areas needs to be positioned out of sight from diners,” she mentioned. “Diners may additionally select to eat in areas dealing with away or separated from buffet-style serving areas.”
The research authors wrote that focus to ground plan openness could possibly be a technique for combating childhood weight problems, first-year school pupil weight acquire (usually referred to as “the freshman 15”), and annual common weight acquire amongst American adults.
She added that those that conceive kitchens and consuming areas would possibly need to rethink their design approaches.
Open ground plans could be nice for entertaining as a result of they put kitchens on show, mentioned Rollings, however they are not essentially nice for waistlines.
Stephanie Schiff, a registered dietitian at Huntington Hospital in Huntington, N.Y., agreed.
“When meals is cooked or displayed in entrance of us, whether or not it is in a kitchen, restaurant, cafeteria and even on TV, it makes us hungry, and we would like a few of it,” Schiff mentioned.
“After we see all completely different sorts of meals displayed on the identical time, we would like no less than a style of every little thing. Take away a few of the temptation, and chances are you’ll make it simpler for folks to have self-control,” Schiff mentioned.
The research was printed lately within the journal Surroundings and Habits.
