P47 - Parent Perspectives on the Interference of Organized Youth Activities with Family Meals

Abstract

Background (Background, Rationale, Prior Research, and/or Theory): Research has related frequent family meals to several indicators of better child and parent health, but involvement in youth activities may be a common barrier to eating together. Objective: This study examines the extent to which parents perceive child participation in organized activities (e.g. sports) to interfere with family meals and how this perception is related to aspects of household food and activity environments. Study Design, Setting, Participants, Intervention: Attitudes and behaviors of parents (n = 573, 67% female, mean age = 31 years) were assessed along with household characteristics in 2015–2016 as part of the fourth wave of the Project EAT study. The analytic sample included respondents who reported living with one or more child (2 + years) for the majority of the past year; the median age of the oldest child was 6 years. Outcome Measures and Analysis: Parents reported separately on the extent (not at all, slightly, somewhat, or a lot) that their children's participation in youth sports and other organized activities (e.g. scouts) interferes with having family meals. Additionally, parents reported on family functioning, family meal frequency, meal attitudes, restaurant food purchasing, and time spent supporting children's physical activity. Models included a dichotomous indicator of the perception that either form of activity interfered somewhat or a lot with having family meals. Results: Approximately two-thirds of parents (n = 389) reported their child(ren) were involved in an organized activity. Among the subgroup reporting involvement, the perception of interference was more common among parents having at least one preadolescent or adolescent child versus only younger children (26% versus 13%, P = .01), but was not related to parent age, gender, household composition (one or more adults), employment, or education. Perceived interference was also associated with a lower family meal frequency, greater difficulty scheduling family meals, more frequent parental fast food intake, and more time spent helping child(ren) to be physically active (all P < .01). Conclusions and Implications: Research is needed to identify strategies that help parents manage family mealtimes when children are involved in organized activities. Funding: NIH.