2 . Engaging in Family Meals

Engaging in family meals may be a matter of improving communication and support at home. A new study in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, published by Elsevier, connects less family discouragement and better family communication with a higher likelihood to eat evening family meals and family breakfasts together, and not in front of a television. The researchers surveyed 259 patients who participated in weight management and weight loss programs at the Ohio State University or Wake Forest University.     1    

“It’s important to note all family members in the home have influence,” lead study author Keeley J. Pratt, PhD, the Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA, said of the findings that any family member can influence the adoption and maintenance of healthy patterns and behaviors in the home.     2     The study also found parents who perceived their child to be overweight were more than four times as likely to talk to them about the kid’s weight, also called “weight talk.”

“While open communication with children about health is beneficial, it’s important to ensure communication directly about children’s weight is not harmful in their development of a healthy body image and behaviors. That includes older children and adolescents who are at greater risk of developing eating disorders and disordered eating behaviors,” Professor Pratt said.     3     Families with younger children, regardless of gender, were more likely to eat family dinners and breakfasts together, and parents of older children were more likely to talk about their own weight with the child. As kids grow up, the relationship between kids and their parents becomes better.

    4     “Understanding these associations will provide essential evidence needed to design future family-based interventions for these patients to help in their behavior change and weight loss, prevent the beginning of obesity in children, and enhance positive family meal practices and healthy communication about weight,” Professor Pratt said.