Publication year
2012
Citation Title
Family meals and child academic and behavioral outcomes.
Journal Name
Child Development
Journal Volume
83
Issue Number
6
Page Numbers
2104-2120
DOI
10.1111/j/1467-8624.2012.01825.x
Summary
In this study of 21,400 children, researchers evaluated the association between family meal frequency (i.e., how often families eat meals together) and child academic and behavioral health outcomes. When controlling for a number of potentially contributory factors, there were no significant associations between family meal frequency and childhood outcomes. The findings contradict findings from most previous studies examining these factors among adolescents.
Key Findings
Seventy percent of children reported frequent family dinners; however, the frequency of family dinners declined over the course of the study as children matured.
More family breakfasts were associated with increased academic performance and decreased behavioral problems, while more family dinners were associated with decreased academic performance and increased behavior problems.
When controlling for characteristics of children and families, there were no significant associations between family meal frequency and child academic or behavioral outcomes.
Implications for Military Professionals
Develop online modules to teach parents about helpful ways to spend time with their children
Collaborate with nutrition programs to offer classes that teach parents and children both how to plan healthy meals and schedule time for the family to eat together
Implications for Program Leaders
Offer activities that provide opportunities to enhance family cohesion outside of regular family meal times
Collaborate with agencies designed to work with parents to foster positive academic and behavioral outcomes in children
Implications for Policy Makers
Recommend the highest levels of services and supports to children with poor academic and behavioral outcomes and the greatest need
Encourage flexible work hours for Service members with children living at home to allow for engagement in regular family activities
Methods
Data for this study came from a large, nationally representative sample of children.
The frequency of family breakfasts and dinners, as well as data on behavior problems and academic performance, were obtained from parents, children, and teachers.
The associations between family meal frequency, academic outcomes, and behavior problems among children while they were in Kindergarten, 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 8th grades were evaluated.
Participants
Data were drawn from 21,400 kindergarteners (51% male) in the 1998–1999 school year; by the eighth grade wave of data collection, approximately 9,700 children completed the child assessment.
Participants were White (55%), Latino (18%), Black (15%), Asian American (10%), and Native American (2%).
The average age of participating children was 6.09 years (SD = 0.37).
Limitations
Parents’ higher reporting of family meal frequency relative to rates reported in previous studies may reflect social desirability bias responding.
Due to considerable attrition over time, large amounts of missing data were imputed for analyses, and children remaining in the sample differed from those who were lost to attrition, potentially skewing the results.
Quantity of family meals may be a weak proxy for other important, uninvestigated factors related to family meal time (e.g., communication, quality time, family support).
Avenues for Future Research
Examine the role of family meals as a mediator between other family factors (e.g., cohesion, communication) and child academic and behavioral outcomes.
Conduct follow-ups with children into adolescence to clarify whether the discrepancy between these and prior findings is partially attributable to the difference in age of participants or other methodological differences
Evaluate the effect of quality of interactions during family meals in addition to the quantity of shared meals
Focus
Civilian
Target Population
Population Focus
Abstract
This study investigates the link between the frequency of family breakfasts and dinners and child academic and behavioral outcomes in a panel sample of 21,400 children aged 5–15. It complements previous work by examining younger and older children separately and by using information on a large number of controls and rigorous analytic methods to discern whether there is causal relation between family meal frequency (FMF) and child outcomes. In child fixed effects models, which controlled for unchanging aspects of children and their families, there were no significant (p < .05) relations between FMF and either academic or behavioral outcomes, a novel finding. These results were robust to various specifications of the FMF variables and did not differ by child age.
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