Family Nutrition

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  

Nutrition. (n.d.). The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary. Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/nutrition

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