ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

TITLE: Downsizing

Project Overview

Childhood obesity has been described as one of the most serious public health

challenges in the 21st Century. Offering large portions of high energy dense (HED)

foods increases overall energy intake in children which is a potentially important

contributing factor to childhood overweight and obesity. Infancy and early childhood

are a key period for establishing food preferences and dietary patterns. Taste

preferences are set in early childhood (e.g. for more or less sweet foods) and can

influence what foods are chosen throughout life. Parents have a central role in shaping

their children’s eating habits. As the “gatekeepers” of child nutrition,

parents/caregivers decide the type, quantity and quality of food they make available

in the household.

In children, since they are just beginning to learn about portion size and to establish

eating habits, there is an opportunity to influence and shape expectations about

appropriate portions. This month, the outgoing Chief Medical Officer, Professor

Dame Sally Davies (2019) releases an independent report ‘Time to Solve Childhood

Obesity’, which argues that childhood obesity is solvable, and calls for action to

protect and improve our children’s health.

Therefore, the aim of this project is to come up with novel design ideas (e.g.

packaging, device, service, motion graphics) that facilitate portion control to suit the

age and stage of the child. Your design will help parents to replace or reduce high

energy dense food and drinks being consumed by their child, in your choice of

setting – the home, a store, a restaurant, the nursery/school and/or when they are

on the go.