The family meal panacea: exploring how different aspects of family meal occurrence, meal habits and meal enjoyment relate to young children’s diets

Abstract

The general consensus in the research to date is that family meals are linked to healthier eating habits in children, compared to not eating with the family. Yet, few studies explore what it is about commensality which leads to better food choices among children. Using a representative Scottish sample of five-year-old children, this research explores the extent to which family meal occurrence, meal patterns regarding where, when and with whom children eat and perceived meal enjoyment predict the quality of children's diets after controlling for indicators of maternal capital that influence both meal rituals and taste preferences. Eating the same food as parents is the aspect of family meals most strongly linked to better diets in children, highlighting the detrimental effect in the rise of 'children's food'. Although theoretical and empirical work pointed to the important health advantage in children eating together with parents, the results suggested that eating together was a far less important aspect of family meals. In evaluating the importance of the family meal, this article redirects attention away from issues of form and function towards issues of food choice. Policy implications and the importance for public health to recognise the way eating habits are defined by and reproduce social and cultural capital are discussed.

Parental and self-reported dietary and physical activity habits in pre-school children and their socio-economic determinants

“…Conversely, olive oil is an expensive item that is less accessible for low-income households in which cost is a key factor in food choice. Such a conclusion is consistent with a study that reported a poorer diet among 5-year-old children from less advantaged backgrounds (37) . A strength of our study is the stratified randomization process for selecting schools for intervention, which decreases the chance of bias in the study sample.…”

Parent-led or baby-led? Associations between complementary feeding practices and health-related behaviours in a survey of New Zealand families

“…The results from a recent representative Scottish study showed that eating family foods was the most important aspect of family meals associated with a healthier diet at age 5 years (ie, it is the food choice that has greater importance than the form and function of the meal) 42. In our survey, the ‘adherent BLW’ infants were having a greater amount of family foods, as well as less commercially purchased food, whereas the families who followed the ‘parent-led feeding’ method reported a greater proportion of commercially prepared food.…”

What does it mean to be a ‘picky eater’? A qualitative study of food related identities and practices

“…The revised diagnosis has been expanded to include significant food avoidance and restriction, with or without an associated medical condition (Kenney & Walsh, 2013). In the broader social context, the rise in consumption of 'children's food' has further fuelled scrutiny over restricted diets and the replacing of fruit and vegetables with processed foods (Skafida, 2013). The specific label of picky eating is a relatively recent theoretical development and, as such, there are few studies exploring picky eating and 'pickiness' remains a disparately theorised construct (Dovey et al, 2008).…”