Is frequency of family meals associated with parental encouragement of healthy eating among ethnically diverse eighth graders?

摘要

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to explore the relationship between family meals and parental encouragement of healthy eating overall and by ethnicity. Design: Family meal frequency was measured with one item asking how many times in the past 7 d all or most of the family ate a meal together, which was then categorized to represent three levels of family meals (<=2 times, 3-6 times and >=7 times). Parental encouragement of healthy eating assessed how often parents encouraged the student to eat fruits and vegetables, drink water, eat wholegrain bread, eat breakfast and drink low-fat milk (never to always). An overall scale of parental encouragement of healthy eating was created. Mixed-effect regression analyses were run controlling for gender, ethnicity, age and socio-economic status. Moderation by ethnicity was explored. Setting: Middle schools. Subjects: Participants included 2895 US eighth grade students participating in the Central Texas CATCH (Coordinated Approach To Child Health) Middle School Project (mean age 13.9 years; 24.5% White, 52.7% Hispanic, 13.0% African-American, 9.8% Other; 51.6% female). Results: Eating more family meals was significantly associated with having parents who encouraged healthy eating behaviours (P for trend <0.001). The number of family meals was positively associated with encouragement of each of the healthy eating behaviours (P for trend <0.0001). There were no differences in the relationships by ethnicity of the students. Conclusions: Families who eat together are more likely to encourage healthy eating in general. Interventions which promote family meals may include tips for parents to increase discussions about healthy eating.