Family meals and body weight. Analysis of multiple family members in family units

Prior research suggests that frequent family meals are associated with lower body mass index (BMI) among children and adolescents. The primary focus of this study was examining associations of reported frequency of family meals with reported BMI for multiple members of family units that included adults and adolescents. A secondary focus was examining settings for family meals and body weight (home and away from home). A cross-sectional survey recruited 327 individuals in 103 family units visiting one U.S. University. Results revealed that for individuals, frequency of family meals at home was inversely related with BMI, while frequency of family meals away from home was directly related with BMI. Family role analyses showed that frequency of family meals eaten by fathers and sons at home was inversely related to BMI, while for only fathers the frequency of family meals away from home was directly related to BMI. Full family unit analyses summed family member characteristics and found associations between family meal frequency and family BMI at home were inverse, but they were direct away from home. Multilevel regression models indicated that family level characteristics accounted for a substantial portion of the variability in body weight measures both at home and away from home. These findings reveal that meal settings, family roles, and full family units help to understand family meals and body weight.

► Multiple family members were surveyed about family meal frequency and body weight.
► Individuals who more often ate family meals at home had lower body weights.
► Individuals who more often ate family meals away from home had higher body weights.
► Family meals of fathers were more related with body weight than other family roles.
► Both individual characteristics and whole family attributes predicted body weight.