The Value of the Dinner Table
Joy Stepinski, MSN, RN-BC
Recently I wrote a newsletter article about the current healthcare concerns among children. (If you would like to subscribe to my newsletter, you can click here to access my website.) I came across many articles that shared the importance of family dining. Throughout my adult years, I have always remembered the importance my mother gave to serving meal at the table. There were only rare occasions when schedules could not be sorted out to make this happen. Family dinner was a way for the family to gather, discuss current events, and the ongoings of the day. More importantly, the time was central to connection, sharing, and valuing one another. Let’s take a look at some of the benefits that the literature reports.
One significance discussed within the research is that family meals may lead to healthier eating and help to prevent obesity. Highlighted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, childhood obesity prevalence was 19.7% among children and adolescents [1] for the recent years ranging from 2017 - 2020. Childhood obesity is defined as a body mass index (BMI) at or above the 95th percentile on clinical growth charts. Over the past decades, the literature has reviewed that eating family dinner has declined [2] along with the nutritional status of children. One study discussed that of 16,202 children, surveys demonstrated that 43% ate dinner with their family regularly, 40% on most days, and 17% only some days or never. In looking at nutrition consumed, healthy dietary intake was associated with family meals. This included fruits and vegetables, less fried food and soda, and overall, more fiber, and less saturated and trans-fat.
Healthy eating as a result of family dinners appears to be an important outcome. A similar study of 14,431 children showed that eating meals with family was inversely correlated with overweight prevalence at baseline [3], although did not provide evidence that the child would become overweight eventually. Additional research published by JAMA [4] found that frequent family meals were correlated with healthier eating patterns, including higher intake of fruits and vegetables and lower consumption of fast-food and take-out meals. The study examined 2,728 adolescents and young adults of ages 14 through 24 years old. The results concluded that family meals may be a suitable intervention for improving nutrition.
A fourth study looked at longitudinal data of a population-based study called Project EAT-III for 10 years [5]. The research followed 1,257 females and 1,030 males, of which 29.9% were middle-school age and 70.1% were high school age. Family meal frequency and self-reported weight measurements were reviewed. Upon follow-up of 10 years, the study noted that 51% of the population were overweight and 22% obese. The study concluded that consuming between 3 and 5 family meals together per week during adolescence led to decreased odds of developing obesity 10 years later. The results were especially prominent among black youth. These findings were attributed to healthier meals served, emotional connection and sense of security that could help regulate eating behaviors, and modeling of satiety cues by parents.
Healthy eating patterns and improved weight are only some benefits. A recent 2022 survey set forth by the American Heart Association (AHA) Healthy for Good™ movement by Wakefield Research [6] discovered that 59% of people made healthier food choices when eating with others, but there were other advantages. The survey showed that 91% of parents perceived less stress among the family when meals were shared together. Additionally, 67% of people surveyed indicated that meals reminded them of the importance of connection with other people and 54% revealed that meals provided good cues to slow down.
Mental health benefits, like less stress, are discussed in other studies. A 2015 study reviewed that growing research investigates the impact of family rituals on psychological functioning, health, and well-being outcomes among adolescents [7]. Such examples are that teenagers feel supported; experience positive values, social skills, and commitment to learning; and are less apt to feel depressed or engage in substance use, school issues, and eating problems. In the study, the research focused on adolescents in Portugal and whether family rituals and social connectedness impacted depression and anxiety. Of 248 adolescents, 63.6% lived with an intact nuclear family, 21.1% in a single-parent family, 12.6% in a step-family, and 2.8% in another type of family, such as a foster or extended family. The results showed that family rituals, like meal-time, were associated with a higher social connectedness and lower levels of depressive symptoms. Social connectedness led to lower levels of depression and anxiety. The concept of social connectedness refers to the ability to perceive the surrounding world through a social lens. Such examples were related to social experiences like maintaining friendships, mourning losses, participating in group activities, avoiding social stigmas, and forming new relationships.
Subjective findings reported by parents on the importance of family dinners, according to one study, were structure or routine, enhanced communication, and strengthening of interpersonal relationships [8]. Benefits consist of offering safety and security for children, connecting about the child’s life, showing attention and love, and offering space for the child to talk. Meals provided a time to reestablish family bonds and learn manners.
Of course, some families may experience barriers in trying to have meal times together. Examples include cost, time constraints like after-school activities or work schedules, and the burden of meal planning [4, 8]. Reported methods to address these issues were: creativity, budgeting and planning, and involving children in meal planning [8]. Youth participation could assist with time constraints on the parents and encourage benefits of good nutritional intake [4]. Engaging children by having fun with cooking and trying new things, providing limited food options, growing a garden together, and making meals a priority are all strategies identified by parents [8].
Although family dinners may be less of an important ritual in current times, they actually offer substantial benefits. Family dinners may promote healthy eating [2, 3, 4, 5, 6], especially among the growing concerns of childhood obesity [1, 3, 4, 5]. Furthermore, this time may impact mental health with feelings of less stress and less depressive symptoms [6, 7]. Consuming meals together allows for connection, bonding, and increased social connectedness [6, 7, 8]. Barriers may exist, but strategies like involving the child in meal preparation and growing a garden together may promote healthier eating and enhance the experience of spending time together. When I reflect upon my childhood, the priority of the family dinner was held dearly in my family and among the times that I most treasure. Family dinners can provide the gift of beautiful memories.
References
1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Prevalence of childhood obesity in the United States. https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/childhood.html
2. Gillman, M. W., Rifas-Shiman, S. L., Frazier, A. L., Rockett, H. R., Camargo Jr, C. A., Field, A. E., ... & Colditz, G. A. (2000). Family dinner and diet quality among older children and adolescents. Archives of family medicine, 9(3), 235.
3. Taveras, E. M., Rifas‐Shiman, S. L., Berkey, C. S., Rockett, H. R., Field, A. E., Frazier, A. L., ... & Gillman, M. W. (2005). Family dinner and adolescent overweight. Obesity Research, 13(5), 900-906. https://doi.org/10.1038/oby.2005.104
4. Walton, K., Horton, N. J., Rifas-Shiman, S. L., Field, A. E., Austin, S. B., Haycraft, E., ... & Haines, J. (2018). Exploring the role of family functioning in the association between frequency of family dinners and dietary intake among adolescents and young adults. JAMA Network Open, 1(7), e185217-e185217. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.5217
5. Berge, J. M., Wall, M., Hsueh, T. F., Fulkerson, J. A., Larson, N., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2015). The protective role of family meals for youth obesity: 10-year longitudinal associations. The Journal of Pediatrics, 166(2), 296-301. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2014.08.030
6. American Heart Association. (2022). New survey: 91% of parents say their family is less stressed when they eat together. https://newsroom.heart.org/news/new-survey-91-of-parents-say-their-family-is-less-stressed-when-they-eat-together
7. Malaquias, S., Crespo, C., & Francisco, R. (2015). How do adolescents benefit from family rituals? Links to social connectedness, depression and anxiety. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 24, 3009-3017.
8. Berge, J. M., Hoppmann, C., Hanson, C., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2013). Perspectives about family meals from single-headed and dual-headed households: a qualitative analysis. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 113(12), 1632-1639. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2013.08.023