Associations of Family Meals with Adolescent Perception of Family Relationship and Compliance with Parental Guidance in Hong Kong: Results of a Representative Cross-Sectional Survey.

Rosa S Wong,Susan Y S Fan,Keith T S Tung,Winnie W Y Tso,Patrick Ip,Paul S F Yip,Carlos K H Wong,Frederick K W Ho,Wilfred H S Wong

doi:10.3390/ijerph18105402

Abstract

Family meals are beneficial for adolescent development, but evidence from Chinese populations has been limited. This study aimed to examine the associations between family meal frequency and adolescent perception of family relationship and compliance with parental guidance in Hong Kong. During the period from October to December 2016, a stratified random sample of 3359 students were recruited from 25 secondary schools in Hong Kong. Students completed questionnaires about family characteristics, relationship quality, and meal frequency by paper-and-pencil in class. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the associations between family meal frequency and perceived family relationship and compliance with parental guidance overall and by subgroups. After adjusting for sociodemographic and school confounders, family breakfast and dinner frequency were significantly associated with adolescent compliance (breakfast: B = 0.07, p < 0.001; dinner: B 0.07, p < 0.001) and perception of family relationship (breakfast: B = 0.10, p < 0.001; dinner: B = 0.25, p < 0.001). Risk factors for infrequent family meals included older age, not born in Hong Kong, less educated fathers, and unmarried parents. Our findings support the associations of regular family meals with adolescent perception of high family bond and compliance with parental guidance. Interventions are needed to enhance quality family meal interactions in disadvantaged families.

Highlights

This study investigated the extent to which family breakfast and dinner frequency was associated with adolescent perception of family relationship and compliance with parental guidance in a representative Hong Kong Chinese youth sample
Consistent with previous western findings that regular mealtime interactions had positive effects on family functioning [17], our study demonstrated that the frequency of eating family breakfast and dinner was significantly associated with adolescent perception of family relationship and compliance with parental guidance
We found associations between family meal frequency and adolescent perception of family relationship and compliance with parental guidance, there might be other parenting factors associated with family meals that contribute to these adolescent perceptions and behavioral outcomes

Summary

Introduction

Adolescence is known as a period of “storm and stress” [1]. It is a period of transition from dependency on parents to independence, autonomy and maturity. Increased need for autonomy and non-compliant behaviors such as reluctance to follow parental rules and decisions may result in conflicts with parents [2]. The relationship between parent-adolescent conflicts and adolescent problems can be bidirectional [3]

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