In our study, most girls usually ordered either small
(37.2%) or medium (44.9%) portion sizes of fast food
meals. A previous study found that 53% of college girls
reported considering smaller portion sizes of fast food (31).
However, 17.9% of the participants typically eat the large portion size. Large food portions available at fast
food restaurants are a considerable concern due to their
high energy content (33), for example large order of
French fries (7.0 ounces) provides 610 kcalories compared
with 210 kcalories in a small portion size (2.4
ounces) (34). Therefore, it has been recommended that
attention should be paid to the portion size of foods and
beverages offered at restaurants (35). Additionally, policy
approaches and government regulations are needed to
reduce energy intake from fast food as most fast food
chains do not respond effectively to health authorities’
calls to reduce the portion size of their menu items
(36, 37). Saudi girls often consumed fast food in the
weekends and evenings. This may be due to gatherings
with family and friends. Driskell et al. (31) clarified that
most female college students reported typically eating
fast food at least once weekly at lunch (about 60%) and
dinner (about 75%), but rarely at breakfast.