THE BENEFITS OF A FAMILY DINNER

FAMILY meals really do improve teenagers’ diets and put them on a path to healthy eating in later life - even if home life is dysfunctional, according to a new study.

Researchers surveyed more than 2 000 families in the US, and found unequivocally that children who grow up with at least two family meals a week ate more fruit and vegetables, and fewer burgers and fries. The impact was strongest on boys, they found, who were far more likely than girls to eat mainly junk food if they hadn’t grown up with family dinners.

It is hardly the first study to suggest the power of family meals, but researchers say it’s more important than ever to investigate and share these findings as obesity rates soar, and teens become more reclusive. “Frequent family meals were associated with eating more fruit and vegetables and less fast food and take-out food for young people in both high and low-functioning families,” lead Author Kathryn Walton, a nutrition PhD candidate at Guelph University in Canada, said. “The findings suggest family dinners are a good way to encourage more healthful eating in adolescents and young adults.”

In the UK, only a third of Brits eat in the dining room - compared to just under half who use the lounge. The dinner table is now only used for special occasions - and a fifth of UK homes don’t even have one. In the US, the family dinner is still a strong part of culture. Around 88 per cent of Americans say they regularly eat with other members of their household.

A bigger issue in the States is that most Americans (around 90 per cent) don’t like to cook, preferring take-out, which doesn’t pack a nutritional punch. But for this study, Walton and colleagues found family meals did encourage adolescents and young adults to have healthier diets and eat less fast food.

This was regardless of other daily domestic routines, communications and emotional connections. Walton said: “Eating meals, particularly dinner, with family members has been associated with improved dietary intake among youths. However, existing studies have not examined how family functioning may moderate or confound this association.”

Using data from 2 728 participants aged 14 to 24 her team combined dietary questionnaires and family functioning models. These were based on factors such as educational attainment of mothers’ spouse or partner and household structure. Walton said: “More frequent family dinners were associated with higher-quality dietary intake regardless of level of family functioning - interactions between family functioning and family dinner frequency were not significant.”
The links between the meals and healthier food consumption did not change when family functioning was taken into account. Family dinners fuelled more fruit and vegetable consumption among males and females. They also had fewer fast food meals.

Walton said: “When the goal is to improve dietary intake, family dinners are an appropriate intervention target for all adolescents and young adults regardless of level of family functioning.” She added: “Family dinners may be an appropriate intervention target for improving dietary intake among youths.” It is recommended children eat five portions of fruit and vegetables per day. Those who always eat together are more likely to achieve this. Watching parents and siblings eat teaches good habits, experts say.

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