A family meal a day may keep obesity
away
Although this probably doesn't apply to Thanksgiving dinner
Although this probably doesn't apply to Thanksgiving dinner
Increasing
rates of adolescent obesity and the likelihood that obesity will carry forward
into adulthood, have led to various preventive initiatives. It has been
suggested that family meals, which tend to include fruits, vegetables, calcium,
and whole grains, could be protective against obesity.
In a new study scheduled
for publication in The Journal of Pediatrics,researchers studied
whether frequent family meals during adolescence were protective for overweight
and obesity in adulthood.
Jerica
M. Berge, PhD, MPH, LMFT, CFLE, and colleagues from the University of Minnesota
and Columbia University used data from a 10-year longitudinal study (2,287
subjects), Project EAT (Eating and Activity among Teens), to examine
weight-related variables (e.g., dietary intake, physical activity, weight
control behaviors) among adolescents.
Questions were asked to assess family
meal frequency and body mass index. According to Dr. Berge, "It is
important to identify modifiable factors in the home environment, such as
family meals, that can protect against overweight/obesity through the
transition to adulthood."
Overall, all levels of baseline family
meal frequency, even having as few as 1-2 family meals a week during
adolescence, were significantly associated with reduced odds of overweight or
obesity at the 10-year follow-up compared with those reporting never having had
family meals during adolescence.
Results also showed a stronger protective
effect of family meal frequency on obesity among black young adults compared
with white young adults. However, the limited significant interactions overall
by race/ethnicity suggest that the protective influence of family meals for
adolescents spans all races/ethnicities.
Family
meals may be protective against obesity or overweight because coming together
for meals may provide opportunities for emotional connections among family
members, the food is more likely to be healthful, and adolescents may be
exposed to parental modeling of healthful eating behaviors.
As noted by Dr.
Berge, "Informing parents that even having 1 or 2 family meals per week
may protect their child from overweight or obesity in young adulthood would be
important." Using this information, public health and health care
professionals who work with adolescents can give parents another tool in the
fight against obesity.
Story Source:
The
above story is based on materials provided by Elsevier. Note:
Materials may be edited for content and length.
Journal Reference:
1.
Jerica M. Berge,
Melanie Wall, Tsun-Fang Hsueh, Jayne A. Fulkerson, Nicole Larson, Dianne
Neumark-Sztainer. The Protective Role of Family Meals for Youth
Obesity: 10-Year Longitudinal Associations. The Journal of
Pediatrics, 2014; DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2014.08.030
Cite This Page:
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MLA
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APA
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Chicago
Elsevier. "A family meal a day may keep obesity away."
Science
Daily, 3 October 2014.
<www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141003135258.htm>.
