Many times we consider our own personal nutrition, but how
is your family's nutrition? Our eating habits are perhaps more connected than
we think they are. “Most people’s food and eating decisions are embedded in
family food and eating subsystems and/or intimately connected to significant
others” (Gillespie & Johnson-Askew 2009). “It is within the home that
health behaviours are learned and maintained and where children develop most of
their strategies for interacting with the environment” (Kime 2008). As children
generally follow the example set by adults, especially in the context of a
family, one can see the importance of adults choosing nutritious foods and
leading by example for their children.
Nutrition by definition is nourishment needed for growth and
development (Stedman’s n.d.). Family nutrition might be considered a subset of
this and is exemplified not by merely having a mother choosing foods, grocery
shopping and cooking for her family, nor the family sitting together around a
table at meal time. “The ‘where, when
and how’ of eating, rather than simply the ‘what’ in terms of food, are
important concepts that need to be examined….” (Kime 2008). Family nutrition is
an inclusion of everyone into the food planning, preparing and eating, and the
caring for and sharing of each individual’s life. Family meal times offer an
opportunity for this.
Established family meal times can decrease the likelihood
that children will engage in risky behaviors. According to Gibbs, a family meal
can influence children enough to decrease the likelihood that they will “smoke,
drink, do drugs, get depressed, develop eating disorders and consider suicide,
and the more likely they are to…delay having sex…” (2006). More immediately in
a child’s life, a different study found that “found that children ages 7 to 11
who did well in school and on achievement tests generally spent large amounts
of time eating meals with their families” (Dairy Council of California, 2009).
Gibbs reveals this as well, and says that children are “more likely to do well
in school, eat their vegetables, learn big words and know which fork to use”
(2006). This suggests that a family meal can discourage the negative behaviors
and encourage positive ones.
A family meal can be a time for members to talk about what
they are consuming and the quality of their diets. “The analyses revealed a
clear relationship between family meal times and the quality of teens’ diets.
Frequency of family meals in the past week was found to be positively and
significantly associated with adolescents’ intake of fruits, vegetables, grains
and calcium-rich foods” (Neumark-Sztainer 2006). The Dairy Council of
California agreed with this as well, and stated that key nutrients such as
“…calcium, fiber, iron vitamins B6 and B12, C and E…” were more likely to be
consumed by “Families who ate together almost every day…” (2009). It was also
shown that among families who ate together they consumed, “…less overall fat
…and [had] lower intakes of soft drinks.” (Dairy Council of California, 2009)
The effects on behavior are also carried over to the
attitudes that children have towards food.
“Although adolescents appear not to be overly concerned about their
nutrition and health, many teens are concerned about their weight”
(Neumark-Sztainer 2006). The
preoccupations that a child sees their parent have about food can influence
their attitudes towards food. Thus it is an opportunity for a family to learn
and discuss together healthy ways to manage weight. “In families with a normal
weight child, an ordered why of eating was part of the family life that was
structured, however chaotic that structure appeared to be. Even in the busiest
of households, a framework of sorts existed, which meant that there was a
routine for shopping, cooking and eating” (Kime 2008). Which can all be related to the fight against
obesity, happening right now in the United States. “In contrast obese children
mainly ate in an unstructured family environment. This was characterized by
eating in different places, hardly ever at the table, with different family
members and at different times, although still predominantly in the family
home” (Kime 2008).
If families desire to join in the fight against obesity, how
does one go about doing that? There are many factors to be considered
intentionally or that unintentionally influence decisions about food and the
desired end results. According to Gillespie and Johnson-Askew there are “…seven
propositions… [that] elucidate the processes of and influences on family food
decision-making systems” (2009). Thus the basis for initiating and continuing
family meals is formed from seven basic principles. The first is that the
decision-making system is directed by the balance of power in the family and
individuals’ predispositions. Secondly, “food and eating behaviors are routine
and/or based on habitual behaviors and evolve over time” (2009). Thirdly,
family communication and short term choices affect the practices and patterns
of family food policies. Next, “Food decisions reflect families’ values and
often unarticulated goals and sometimes require negotiation among goals”
(2009). Another proposition is that food
decisions are based on the situation and assessment of available resources. A
second to last proposition is that food decisions are made within the context
of each individual’s knowledge of food alternatives. And finally, food
decisions can change over time “because of changing contexts and changes in
family members and their food roles and responsibilities” (2009).
By Rebecca Johnson
References
Dairy Council of
California. (2009, July 29). Help Your Child Succeed in School with Family
Meals. Retrieved from http://www.dairycouncilofca.org/MediaRoom/News/MaterialsReleases155.aspx
Gibbs, N. (2006,
Jun 4). The Magic of the Family Meal. Time
Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1200760,00.html
Gillespie, A. M.
H. & Johnson-Askew, W. L. (2009). Changing Family Food and Eating
Practices: The Family Food Decision-Making System. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 38, 31-36. DOI:
10.007/s12160-009-9122-7
Kim, S. A.,
Grimm, K. A., Harris, D. M., Scanlon, K. S., Demissie, Z. (2011, Nov 25) Fruit
and Vegetable Consumption Among High School Students- United States, 2010. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
60(46), 1583-1586. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6046a3.htm
Kime, N. (2008).
Children’s eating behaviours: the importance of the family setting. Area, 40 (3), 315-322. DOI:
10.1111/j.1475-4762.2008.00834.x
Missouri
Information for Community Assessment (MICA). (2007). Health and Preventive Practices for Knox County Adults. Retrieved
from http://health.mo.gov/data/mica/County_level_study/header.php?cnty=103&profile_type=1&chkBox=C
Neumark-Sztainer,
D. (2006). Eating Among Teens: Do Family Mealtimes Make a Difference for
Adolescent’s Nutrition?. New Directions
for Child & Adolescent Development, 2006
(111), 91-105. DOI:10.1002/cad156
Tak, N. I., te
Velde, S. J., de Vriest, J .H. M., & Brug, J. (2006). Parent and child
reports of fruit and vegetable intakes and related family environmental factors
show low levels of agreement. Journal of
Human Nutrition & Dietetics. 19(4)
275-285. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-277x.2006.00702.x
