May 6/Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week -- According to recent research in the U.S., "Portion-size estimation is an important component of weight management. Literacy and numeracy skills may be important for accurate portion-size estimation."

"It was hypothesized that low literacy and numeracy would be associated with decreased accuracy in portion estimation. A cross-sectional Study of primary care patients was performed from July 2006 to August 2007; analyses were performed from January 2008 to October 2008. Literacy and numeracy were assessed with validated measures (the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine and the Wide Range Achievement Test, third edition). For three solid-food items and one liquid item, participants were asked to serve both a single serving and a specified weight or volume amount representing a single serving. Portion-size estimation was considered accurate if it fell within +/- 25% of a single standard serving.