Associations of family meal practices with health status and dietary intake: A literature review using a foreign journal database

Abstract

Objective: This study was conducted to review the trends observed in studies concerning the associations of family meal practices with health status and dietary intake.
Methods: A literature review was carried out using MEDLINE (PubMed) and Eric databases. Relevant articles published between 2001 and 2011 were identified using the following search terms: “family meals” or “family meal” or “family dinner” or “family mealtime.” Additional articles were retrieved from the references of three systematic reviews on family meal practice. After screening titles, abstracts, and full texts, 50 articles were included in this review.
Results: Of the 43 measures used to assess family meal practices, 30 were related to “family meal frequency (FMF)” using one question. Many of them were asked about the frequency of a meal with all or most of the family within a week. Twenty-four cross-sectional and six longitudinal studies examined the association between FMF and health or nutrition status among young children through adolescents. Ten cross-sectional and three longitudinal studies reported FMF and food or nutrient intake among children. Children with high FMF were more likely to have a lower score of depression symptoms, higher intake of fruits and vegetables, and higher score of diet quality. The association of obesity and FMF yielded mixed results. Studies that targeted adults were limited to four cross-sectional studies.
Conclusion: This study implied that children and adolescents who have frequent family meals have a better dietary intake, such as a higher intake of fruits and vegetables.