Regular Family Meals Associated with Nutritional Status, Food Consumption, and Sedentary and Eating Behaviors of Brazilian Schoolchildren and Their Caregivers

Abstract

The influence of family meals on nutrition and health for families has been understudied, especially in low- and middle-income countries. We aimed to analyze associations between regular family meals and body mass index (BMI), food consumption, eating, and sedentary behaviors among Brazilian schoolchildren and their caregivers. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1887 Brazilian schoolchildren aged 6–11 years and their caregivers. Caregivers provided sociodemographic data, their child’s weight and height, and the frequency of family meals. Schoolchildren provided data on gender and silhouette scale. Both provided their food consumption, eating, and sedentary behavior data. Associations between regular family meals and BMI, ultra-processed food consumption, and dietary diversity were assessed through multivariate logistic regression models. Correlations of regular family meals with eating and sedentary behaviors were assessed using Pearson chi-square. Regular family meals were frequent (86.6%), and they were associated with less unhealthy BMI in caregivers (AOR: 0.74; 95%CI: 0.5–0.9), as well as higher dietary diversity in caregivers (AOR: 1.66; 95%CI: 1.0–2.7) and in schoolchildren (AOR: 1.78; 95%CI: 1.4–2.3). The coexistence of high dietary diversity and both low ultra-processed food consumption (AOR: 1.45; 95%CI: 1.0–2.1) and healthy BMI (AOR: 1.41; 95%CI: 1.0–1.9) in children was associated with regular family meals. Regular family meals were correlated with healthy eating behaviors in child-caregiver dyads (p < 0.002) and with sedentary behavior in caregivers (p = 0.019). Our findings underscore regular family meals as a protective factor against malnutrition among Brazilian families.