Family Meals: Where Kids Belong

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Family MealsWhere Kids Belong
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Is there time for meals?
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Are family meals important? How frequent are
family meals?
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Teens Having Family Dinners 7X/Week
2005 CASA National Survey of American Attitudes
on Substance Abuse X Teens and Parents
http//www.casacolumbia.org
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What happened to the family meal?

• Conflicting schedules
• Both parents working
• Long work hours
• Split shifts
• Meetings
• Sports practices
• Music lessons
• ? Cooking skills

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How we eat today . . .
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Do family meals matter?
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Do family meals matter?

• Improved scholastic performance
• ? language acquisition (C. Snow, Harvard Grad
  School of Education)
• ? school performance and achievement test
  scores (University of Illinois)
• ? academic success (Readers Digest
  survey)

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Teens Who Get As/Bs in School by Frequency of
Family Dinners
2005 CASA National Survey of American Attitudes
on Substance Abuse X Teens and Parents
http//www.casacolumbia.org
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Do family meals matter?

• Fewer behavioral problems
• 5 meals/week ? ? drugs, depression, trouble
  (B. Bowden, Cincinnati Childrens Hospital)

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Family Dinners and Teen Substance-Abuse Risk
2005 CASA National Survey of American Attitudes
on Substance Abuse X Teens and Parents
http//www.casacolumbia.org
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http//www.casafamilyday.org
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Do family meals matter?

• Happier families
• Improved communication
• Stronger family ties
• Greater sense of identity and belonging

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Do family meals matter?

• Improved nutrition
• ? fruits and vegetables
• ? grains
• ? calcium-rich foods
• ? protein
• ? iron
• ? fiber
• ? vitamins
• ? soft drinks and snacks

Neumark-Sztainer, JADA (103), 2003
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Frequency of family meals and disordered eating
among girls Project EAT
Disordered Eating ()
Never 1-2
3-4 5 or more
Frequency of Meals
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Family Meals Could they help prevent overweight
in children?

• ? nutrient-dense foods, ? nutrient-poor foods
• Consistent mealtimes ? food security
• Parents role model healthy eating at meals
• Prevent disengaged eating and promote focused
  eating, respond to hunger/fullness
• Promote sense of belonging

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What teens like to do with their parents

• Spend holidays together 90
• Go out to a nice restaurant 86
• Go on vacation 79
• Eat dinner at home 79
• Family parties 68
• Go to church, synagogue 66
• Watch TV 66
• Go out for fast food 64

Teenage Research Unlimited, P. Zollo, 2004
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(No Transcript)
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Strategies for family meals

• Make a priority
• Plan ahead
• Create positive atmosphere

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Strategies for family meals
Make a priority
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Strategies for family meals
Plan ahead
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Strategies for family meals
Create a positive atmosphere and turn off the TV
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(No Transcript)
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Family Dinners, 1998-2005
2005 CASA National Survey of American Attitudes
on Substance Abuse X Teens and Parents
http//www.casacolumbia.org
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For more information on Family Mealtimevisit
thePurdue UniversityCenter for
FamiliesPromoting Family Meals
Project www.cfs.purdue.edu/CFF/promotingfamilyme
als

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Please respond

• What do YOU think about
• Promoting Family Meals?