Family Meals Research Articles

Family meals are associated with lower substance use in female adolescents.

Adolescents, especially female youth, who have more family meals tend to be at lower risk for substance use. The present study tested whether family meals relate to substance use count and frequency during high school, whether associations differ by gender, and whether other family-related variables explain these associations. A community sample of 316 adolescents (Mage = 16.40, SD = 0.74; 56.96% female; 41.77% Latine, 23.10% Asian American, 29.11% European American, 6.01% from other ethnic backgrounds including Middle Eastern and African American) reported the number of substances they have ever used and how often they used alcohol, marijuana, and cigarettes, and completed measures of parental support and family cohesion. Across 15 days, they reported whether they had a family meal, got along with parents, and spent leisure time with their family each day. Regression models tested associations between frequency of family meals and substance use, whether associations differed by gender, and whether associations were explained by other family-related variables. Results indicated that more frequent family meals were associated with lower substance use count and less frequent alcohol, marijuana, and cigarette use among female adolescents but not male adolescents. Other daily family experiences were unrelated to substance use, and family meal frequency was independently related to lower substance use after accounting for parental support and family cohesion. Taken together, more frequent family meals in high school may reduce substance use risk for female adolescents, and interventions could consider promoting family meals in addition to other positive family values.

The Effect of Baby-Led Weaning and Traditional Complementary Feeding Trainings on Baby Development: Study Protocol

Aim: In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the risks of self-feeding, transition to early solids and home meals, choking, anemia and obesity in 6-and 12-month-old infants who were introduced to complementary feeding with the trainings of traditional complementary feeding (TCF) and baby-led weaning (BLW) methods. Material and Method: This study is an experimental and randomized controlled study conducted to examine the effect of the trainings of the TCF and BLW methods on the transition to complementary feeding. The population of the study consisted of 73 infants aged 4 and 5 months who 62 were assigned to intervention groups by stratified randomization method. The study was conducted according to the CONSORT-2010 checklist. Five complementary feeding modular trainings with 8 sessions, appropriate for the age of the baby in months, were carried out in both intervention groups. In both groups, the trainings were maintained until the baby was 4 months to 12 months old. The outcomes consisted of height, weight gain, LAZ (Length for age z-score), WAZ (Weight for age z-score), and WLZ (Weight for length z-score) scores at 12 months, iron intake, hemoglobin, hematocrit, and ferritin levels, micronutrients, choking risk, growth retardation, transition time to solid foods, family meals and self-feeding, behaviors of transition to complementary feeding and developmental assessment parameters. Practice Implications: This study, the trainings given are expected to give an idea about the extent to which they affect the infant's body weight, growth and development, iron and micronutrient intake, obesity, choking and growth retardation risks..

Food Allergy Awareness Champions: Improving Food Safety Standards in Online Food Procurement for People With Food Hypersensitivities

Background There have been changes more recently in how people commonly acquire and consume food at home. The practice of ordering online food delivery including ready-to-eat meals, drinks, and snacks has increased immensely. The COVID-19 pandemic has likely been a factor in this change in practice as it’s now the case that one in four consumers thinks about using meal delivery services on a regular basis. The aims of this project were: • to improve understanding and knowledge of the behaviours of FHS citizen scientists buying ready-to-eat (takeaway and delivered) food online. • to learn more about the visible procedures and practices of individual food businesses offering online food delivery. • to use accredited methods to determine the presence of certain allergens in selected samples of food procured by participants. Results In general, respondents expressed more trust in nationwide food chains due to their perceived resources, updated information, menu consistency and/or accreditation by a UK allergy charity, such as Allergy UK or Coeliac UK. The citizen scientists revealed some of their behaviours to minimise the risk of contamination including: • eating food alone, before or after the family or work meal • physically separating gluten-containing from non-gluten-containing foods at the table • double checking the food order and the labels provided • following good food hygiene guidelines • using their own senses. Furthermore, there were some indications that older FHS citizens may perceive the risk of ordering online differently from younger age groups.

Memories

The author recounts family meals in rural Pennsylvania Dutch country during her youth (early 20-the century).

CHILDHOOD IMAGE IN THE NOVEL “DAWN” BY B. K. ZAITSEV

The purpose of the article is to consider the specifics of depicting the theme of childhood in the novel “Dawn” by B. K. Zaitsev. In modern literary studies, the theme of childhood in the works of Russian writers who found themselves in exile after the revolutionary events is actively being developed and studied. The relevance of the work is due to the fact that it explores one of the important topics in the literature of the Russian diaspora. The novelty of the research consists in comparing the novel by B. K. Zaitsev with 19th century Russian classical prose about childhood, in clarifying the question of traditions and innovation in solving the theme of childhood by the writer of the Russian diaspora. The paper considers theoretical issues related to the spatial and temporal structure of the novel “Dawn,” the disclosure of the figurative and motivational series, artistic means and techniques. All this is necessary not only to understand the peculiarities of the embodiment of the childhood image in B. K. Zaitsev’s prose, but also to determine the national identity of Russian literature about childhood. In the center of Zaitsev’s novelis the image of a child living in a manor, which is depicted according to Russian literary traditions of the 18th — 19th centuries. Describing the ancestral “nest” with its material content, special semantics, autobiographical basis, recreating the world of a child, B. K. Zaitsev relies on the novel “Childhood” by L. N. Tolstoy. Idyllic time dominates the structure of the novel “Dawn.” Its important components include the motifs of light, aromas, smells, sounds of nature, the synesthesia characteristic of a child’s worldview. The child experiences the fullness of the joy of being akin to being in Eden. The world of childhood, permeated with Divine grace, apart from biographical and historical time, is addressed to the category of Eternity. Childhood is spiritualized and sacralized. Mother and father are organically included in the world of the novel, associated with the idea of the orderliness and stability of being. Family meals together and rituals become events that create an atmosphere of happiness. Children’s worldview is presented through a system of oppositions of “their own”/“someone else’s”space. Childhood is associated with thanatological events. The description of the reading circle becomes mandatory in revealing the inner world of the child hero. The writer’s novel is an example of an image of childhood conditioned by a new era, modernist innovations consisting in changing the relationship between the author and the child.

Development and Implementation of a Novel Approach to Dietary Education for People With Inadequate Health Literacy and Advanced Kidney Disease

To describe the process of developing and implementing a novel approach to renal diet education by changing from a nutrient-based food list to a pictorial meal compilation approach through the skill steps: plan, select, cook, eat. The skill-based teaching method accommodates low literacy levels and respects cultural values. This teaching style aligns the complex renal diet guidelines with family living. Each meal plan is based on a balanced diet and includes family preferences. Appropriate cooking methods and food swaps that match renal diet specifications are included. The accompanying Cook for Life cookbook demonstrates how to prepare the new kidney-friendly family meal. Recipes were supplied by a local Māori elder and his whānau and tested by the dietitian. The cookbook is provided to all patients receiving renal dietetic education. The teaching method has undergone several iterations to accommodate feedback from dietitians, nurses, doctors, and patients. This included patient engagement to develop the Storybook, a pictorial representation of typical meals consumed in the community with a corresponding food substitution to illustrate how to compile kidney-friendly meals. Analysis of feedback regarding this approach indicates high levels of acceptance and engagement with this new teaching style. This practical skill-based dietary education teaching style appears to be a feasible, acceptable, culturally sensitive, and appropriate approach to dietary education for people who live with kidney disease. Patient engagement in the design of this approach supports effective learning and behavior change.

The Role of Family Intergenerational Dynamic Transmission in Shaping Health Behaviors and Outcomes among Chinese Adolescents

Objectives: Family intergenerational dynamic transmission is considered to play an important role in influencing the overall lifestyle of an individual. Therefore, the current study also aims to determine the role of family intergenerational dynamic transmission in influencing the health behaviors and other associated outcomes among Chinese adolescents. Methods: For this purpose, the main focus was given on the eating health behaviors of the associated adolescents. For this study, data was collected from "Eating and Activity in Teens" (EAT) 2018. It was population-based research which focused on the physical activity and eating outcomes among different adolescents, focusing on their family intergenerational dynamic transmission (ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and family meal patterns). For this study, a total of 2,700 participants were considered (girl adolescents=1,400, boy adolescents=1,300). Linear regression analysis was used for determining the association between the associated health behaviors among adolescents and family intergenerational dynamic transmission. Results: The results obtained from this study show that meal patters, family meals, breakfast consumption and fruits and vegetables intake improved among the adolescent girls (p < 0.05). However, no significant association was observed within fast food intake. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was found to be insignificant (p > 0.05), while sedentary lifestyle was significant (p < 0.05). Moreover, BMI of the adolescent girls also provided significant outcomes (p < 0.05). It has also been observed that meal patters, family meals, breakfast consumption and fast-food intake improved among the adolescent boys (p < 0.05). Conclusion: However, no significant association was observed within the context of fruits and vegetables intake. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and sedentary lifestyle, also found to be significant (p < 0.05). Finally, BMI of the adolescent boys did not improve, showing insignificant outcomes (p > 0.05). In conclusion, family intergenerational dynamic transmission plays an important role in influencing health behaviors among adolescents.

Parental verbal communication and modeling behavior during mealtimes shape offspring eating behavior – A systematic review with a focus on clinical implications for eating disorders

ObjectiveThe aim of this review is to provide an overview of parental communication patterns during mealtimes, with a special emphasis being placed on the differences between families with and without a history of eating disorders. MethodsThe systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA statement. A systematic literature search was carried out in PubMed, PubPsych and PsycINFO and the results were assessed for eligibility by two independent raters using the PICOS criteria. Only studies that included a mealtime observation were considered suitable for analysis of both explicit and implicit parental communication. ResultsThe results of the review suggest that mothers communicate more, with more complexity, and with a greater variety of words with their children during mealtimes compared to fathers. The intention and type of communication is diverse and heterogeneous. In general, parents often tried to encourage their children to eat. Verbal modeling and co-eating appeared to be common behaviors. Mothers with a history of eating disorders expressed more negative emotions during eating than mothers without eating disorders. Findings regarding the use of positive comments and controlling speech are contradicting. DiscussionThe review outlines major fields of parent-child communication and modeling behavior around family meals which might be relevant to investigate and integrate into models of intergenerational transmission of eating behavior and disordered eating.

Associated Factors of Dietary Patterns among Adolescents in the Rural Northern Region of Thailand: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study.

This cross-sectional study aims to explore the dietary patterns and associated factors of adolescents, which are often overlooked in nutrition data systems. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 304 participants aged 10 to 19 in rural northern Thailand, utilizing both open recall and list-based 24 h recall techniques, with the data recorded online. Dietary diversity (DD) was assessed using ten food groups as per the Food and Agricultural Organization guidelines. We employed binary logistic regression and multivariable logistic regression analyses. Most participants consumed items from the grains, white roots, and tubers food group, while the nuts, seeds, and pulses food group was the least consumed. The mean number of food groups consumed was 5.23 ± 0.12, with no significant differences across gender and age groups, and participants reporting no influence of mass media on food choices were more likely to have inadequate DD (AOR = 2.94; 95% CI 1.38-6.28). Conversely, those not influenced by social media when choosing food (AOR = 0.45; 95% CI 0.21-0.96), who felt relaxed during meals (AOR = 0.33; 95% CI 0.19-0.59), and with no role in family meal decisions (AOR = 0.55; 95% CI 0.31-0.95) were less likely to have inadequate dietary diversity. We suggest that assisting adolescents with mealtime management and involving them in selecting healthy menus could improve their dietary variety. Moreover, future research should further investigate these mechanisms to inform strategies for improving DD in this age group.

Evaluation of Exclusive Breastfeeding Practices among Mothers of Children Aged 0 to 59 Months in the Rural Commune of Sinder, Tillabery, Niger

Feeding practices play a major role in the nutritional status of children (WHO/UNICEF, 2009). The objective of this study was to evaluate the practice of exclusive breastfeeding among mothers of children aged 0 to 59 months in the rural commune of Sinder. This is a cross-sectional descriptive study, which involved a representative and random sample of mothers of children aged 0 to 59 months. A questionnaire was completed through a structured interview. The data were collected with ODK software then analyzed with SPSS and Epi Info version 7.2 software. A total of 250 mother/child couples were enrolled. About 58% of newborns receive breast milk as their first food and 42% received pre-lacteal fluids. The majority of children are put to the breast early, including 55.2% immediately after birth and 34.4% within the next 24 hours, but 10.4% wait more than 24 hours. 66.4% of mothers say they have been made aware of EBF practices by health workers and 33.6% by those close to the mother. Around 37% of mothers say they do not believe in the nutritional and health benefits of EBF. Only 44% of infants receive EBF up to 6 months. The average duration of EBF is 4.4± 2.77 months. Among children receiving other foods in addition to breast milk before their sixth month, 56% receive water, 32.8% receive a herbal decoction, 45.6% take family meals, 50.4% drink the porridge. The practice of EBF in the rural commune of Sinder is suboptimal.

Spillover from parent stress to family meals among diverse families: An ecological momentary assessment study.

Family meals are beneficial for youth healthy development. However, parents' experiences of daily stressors may hinder their capacity to facilitate family meals, serve healthful foods, and have implications for the family meal atmosphere. Using data from ecological momentary assessment, we examined whether family meals are less likely to occur, meals are less healthful, and meal atmosphere is less positive on days when parents experience higher-than-usual stress and whether coparenting support buffers these associations. We also explored the role of family stressors in these links. Participants were 497 parents (Mage = 35.86 years; 91% female) of 5- to 9-year-old children who identified as Asian (15%), Black (17%), Hispanic (10%), Native American (10%), Native Hawaiian (< 1%), White (38%), multiracial (8%), or other (< 1%). Results from multilevel models indicated that daily deviations in parents' stress levels were not correlated with family meal occurrence, healthfulness, or positive atmosphere. However, on days when the source of parents' stress was family related (e.g., family demands), odds of a positive meal atmosphere were significantly lower (OR = 0.92, 95% CI [0.88, 0.96]), adjusting for other sources of stress. Coparenting relationship quality was positively associated with family meal occurrence (OR = 1.34, 95% CI [1.01, 1.79]) and healthfulness (γ = 0.20, p < .001), however, it did not moderate links between stress and family meal occurrence, healthfulness, or atmosphere. Findings suggest that day-to-day fluctuations in parents' stress levels may not disrupt whether a family meal occurs, the healthfulness of foods served, or the atmosphere of family meals. However, family stressors and coparenting relationship quality merit investigation as potential intervention targets. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Comparative Characteristics of Eating Behavior, Habits, and Patterns of Normal and Overweight Children, Including Obese Children

Introduction: One of the reasons for the high prevalence of overweight and obesity among adults, and especially children and adolescents, is eating habits and eating behavior, which are formed by the rules of nutrition established in the family. Purpose of the Study: Conduct a comparative assessment of the nature of nutrition and eating habits of overweight schoolchildren, including obesity, and those with normal body weight to justify the development of measures aimed at preventing the formation of overweight and alimentary-related diseases. Materials and Methods: The materials for the study were the data of a survey of 2029 schoolchildren aged 7-17. The survey program included questions reflecting knowledge of the principles of healthy eating and adherence to its principles in family and school meals, the structure and mode of eating were studied. Statistical analysis was carried out using STATISTICA 10 and Microsoft Excel application packages. Parametric methods of analysis were used. Differences were considered statistically significant at p&lt;0.05. Results: A high frequency of adherence to the consumption of high-calorie foods was established, which is typical both for respondents with overweight and obesity, and with normal body weight. In the group of children with overweight and obesity, a higher frequency of food intake was revealed both on weekends and on school days 75.4% versus 65.6% and in the group with normal body weight, respectively, 73.4% versus 60.8% (p≤0.05), which is largely due to the greater proportion of children in this group who eat according to the main diet at school (73.2% versus 59.3%, p≤0.05), as well as attending the canteen in addition to the main nutrition (78.6% vs. 14.3%, (p≤0.05), more often buying main meat and fish dishes (6.7% vs. 4.8%), cereals (1.8% vs. 7%), sausages or wieners (4.0% vs. 1.1%), less often - fruits (2.7% vs. 3.4%), which increases the energy value of the diet compared to children with normal body weight. Conclusion: The study made it possible to identify violations of eating behavior and eating habits in schoolchildren with different BMI indicators, which pose additional risks of overweight and obesity in schoolchildren. Habits in the group of children with overweight, which are the source of the formation of risk factors for diseases associated with overweight and obesity, as well as the peculiarities of eating habits in the group of children with normal body weight. The data obtained require the need to develop preventive measures aimed at creating positive motivation in children to reduce the consumption of critically important nutrients, develop healthy eating habits, and consume food that is balanced with regard to actual energy consumption and physiological need for food and biologically valuable substances.

Is family meal frequency associated with obesity in children and adolescents? A cross-sectional study including 155 451 participants from 43 countries.

This study tried to examine the association between the frequency of family meals and excess weight using large and representative samples of children and adolescents from 43 countries. This cross-sectional study used data from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC), which included nationally representative samples of children and adolescents aged 10-17 years, involving a total of 155 451 participants (mean age = 13.6 years; standard deviation [SD] = 1.6; 51.4% girls). Family meal frequency was gauged through the following question: 'How frequently do you and your family typically share meals?' The possible responses were: 'never', 'less often', 'approximately once a week', 'most days' and 'every day'. The body weight and height of the participants were self-reported and utilized to calculate body mass index (BMI). Subsequently, BMI z-scores were computed based on the International Obesity Task Force criteria, and the prevalence of excess weight was defined as +1.31 SD for boys and + 1.24 SD for girls, with obesity defined as +2.29 SD for boys and + 2.19 SD for girls. Generalized linear mixed models were conducted to examine the associations between the frequency of family meals and excess weight or obesity. The lowest predicted probabilities of having excess weight and obesity were observed for those participants who had family meals every day (excess weight: 34.4%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 31.4%-37.5%; obesity: 10.8%, 95% CI 9.0%-13.0%). A higher frequency of family meals is associated with lower odds of having excess weight and obesity in children and adolescents.

Shaping a moral body in family dinner talk: Children's socialization to good manners concerning bodily conduct

The family meal has been extensively investigated as a site for children's acquisition of eating-related behaviors and attitudes, as well as culture-specific rules and assumptions. However, little is known about children's socialization to a constitutive dimension of commensality and even social life: good manners concerning bodily conduct. Drawing on 20th century scholarship on body governmentality and good manners, and building on recent studies on family meal as a socialization site, the article sheds light on this overlooked dimension of family commensality. Based on a corpus of more than 20 h of videorecorded family dinner interactions collected in Italy, and using discourse analysis, the article shows that family mealtime constitutes a relevant arena where parents control their children's conduct through the micro-politics of good manners. By participating in mealtime interactions, children witness and have the chance to acquire the specific cultural principles governing bodily conduct at the table, such as “sitting properly”, “eating with cutlery”, and “chewing with mouth closed”. Yet, they are also socialized to a foundational principle of human sociality: one's own behavior must be self-monitored according to the perspective of the generalized Other. Noticing that forms and contents of contemporary family mealtime talk about good manners are surprisingly similar to those described by Elias in his seminal work on the social history of good manners, the article documents that mealtime still constitutes a privileged cultural site where children are multimodally introduced to morality concerning not only specific table manners, but also more general and overarching assumptions, namely the conception of the body as an entity that should be (self)monitored and shaped according to moral standards.

Chronotype and depression in adolescence: Results from a UK birth cohort study

AbstractBackgroundResearch has established a bidirectional association between sleep disturbances and depression in both adults and youth, as well as links between depression and circadian rhythms and chronotype, predominantly in adult populations. However, the link between chronotype and depression in the general adolescent population, independently of poor sleep and prior mental health problems, remains unclear.MethodsThis study investigated the association between time‐to‐sleep (TTS) and depressive symptoms in middle adolescence (age 14 years) using data from a large, nationally representative birth cohort from the UK. The relationship between TTS and self‐reported number of depressive symptoms was adjusted for individual, family, and neighborhood characteristics, including sleep quality, earlier mental health, diet and family meal routines, body‐mass index, screen time, physical activity, chronic illness, special educational needs, peer victimization, socioeconomic status, maternal mental health, area safety and the built environment (air pollution).ResultsAn “evening” chronotype was positively associated with depressive symptoms, and biological sex moderated this association—with eveningness being more strongly related to depressive symptoms in females. TTS inconsistency between non‐school and school nights was associated with depressive symptoms and sleeping later on non‐school nights predicted fewer depressive symptoms. The results were robust to further sensitivity analyses that used the sleep midpoint on non‐school nights and controlled for sleep duration.LimitationsThis was a correlational study. The independent and dependent variables were self‐reported, and there was no clinical screening for sleep disorders. The TTS variables were provided in crude hour slots.ConclusionsA robust association was found between evening chronotype and depressive symptoms in middle adolescence, even after adjustment for a wide range of confounders. Eveningess and depressive symptoms were more strongly associated in females.

Parent feeding practices in infants and toddlers referred to a hospital-based feeding program in the United States

While considerable research exists on parent feeding practices for infants and toddlers, past research has not focused on children with feeding problems. The goal of this study was to identify parent feeding practices in a sample of infants (n = 178) and toddlers (n = 221) referred to a hospital-based feeding clinic and then examine how these parent feeding practices were correlated with specific feeding problems. Parents completed surveys to report child demographics, feeding problems, and use of 54 feeding practices. Forty-eight (88.8%) of 54 practices were utilized more often for toddlers than for infants. Exploratory factor analysis with the 54 practices and the full sample (n = 399) produced the 16-item Baby Parent Mealtime Action Scale (BPMAS) with three dimensions: Multiple Food Offers, Use of Cereal/Pureed Foods, Use of Toys/TV. Controlling for demographics, hierarchical regression examined how each BPMAS dimension was associated with five feeding problems (underweight, tube feeding, texture problems, limited diet, mealtime disruption). Multiple Food Offers (e.g., daily offering of vegetables, offering foods from the family meal) was the dimension most correlated with fewer feeding problems such as tube feeding (β = −0.220, p < 0.001), texture rejection (β = −0.361, p < 0.001), and limited diet variety (β = −0.175, p < 0.001), but also with more mealtime disruption (β = 0.231, p < 0.001). Use of Toys/TV was correlated with more mealtime disruption (β = 0.260, p < 0.001). In addition to demonstrating a correlation between parent feeding practices and feeding problems, this study also found adding cereal/pureed foods to be common and while the dimension, Use of Cereal/Pureed Foods, was not significantly correlated with any specific feeding problem, this dimension provides an expanded understanding of cereal usage.

Higher Numbers of Family Meals and Social Eating Behavior Are Associated with Greater Self-Esteem among Adolescents: The EHDLA.

the aim of this study was to assess the associations of family meals and social eating behavior with self-esteem levels among Spanish adolescents. This was a secondary cross-sectional study including 706 participants (aged 12 to 17 years; 56.1% girls) from the Eating Habits and Daily Life Activities (EHDLA) study. The evaluation of the frequency of family meals involved participants providing information in physical education classes on how frequently they, along with other members of their household, had shared meals in the previous week. Social eating behavior was assessed by three different statements: "I usually have dinner with others", "Having at least one meal a day with others (family or friends) is important to me", and "I enjoy sitting down with family or friends for a meal". To assess overall self-esteem, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale was used. In the adjusted models, a positive association was observed between the frequency of family meals and the self-esteem score (unstandardized beta coefficient [B] = 0.06, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.003 to 0.12, p-adjusted = 0.040). Furthermore, the same positive association was also identified between social eating behavior and the self-esteem score (B = 0.23; 95% CI 0.07 to 0.40, p-adjusted = 0.005). Although self-esteem is complex and can be influenced by numerous factors, both family meals and social eating behavior may exert a relevant role in adolescents. Encouraging consistent participation in family meals and promoting positive eating practices could be valuable approaches in public health actions targeting the enhancement of self-esteem levels in adolescents.

Mapping the potential of meal kits to influence parental food literacy: an application of behaviour change frameworks

Cooking at home and eating together provide opportunities to improve family nutrition and promote healthy dietary habits. Commercial meal kit subscription services (MKSSs) (e.g. HelloFresh™, Marley Spoon™, EveryPlate™) may support parents to overcome obstacles to family meal provisioning and facilitate food literacy development. A gap exists in our understanding of how and why meal kits may elicit behaviour change, and opportunities to increase their behaviour change capability. This study aimed to examine the theoretical potential of Australian MKSSs to promote parental food literacy using the Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW)(1) and associated Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF)(1) and Behaviour Change Technique Taxonomy v1 (BCTTv1)(2). A one-week subscription was purchased for all Australian-based MKSSs (n = 9) and key meal kit components (subscription and meal planning features, meal kit delivery and website content) were coded using the retrospective application of these behaviour change frameworks. Parental food literacy-related behaviours were informed by a Food Literacy framework(3). Identified BCTs were mapped to the TDF using the Theory and Techniques Tool to identify theoretical mechanisms of action. The key meal kit components identified mapped to eight of the nine BCW intervention functions. These components primarily served the functions of enablement and environmental restructuring to support cooking at home. Thirty-five of the 93 possible BCTs were identified across the nine MKSSs reviewed, ranging from 19 to 29 BCTs per company, and linked to 13 of the 14 TDF domains. The most frequently identified mechanisms of action (TDF) targeted changes in motivation (n = 27) and capability (n = 19) to influence parental food literacy. Australian-based MKSSs incorporate a wide range of BCTs that target mechanisms of action associated with food literacy-related behaviours. These findings provide a strong theoretical evidence-base for the potential of commercial MKSSs to enhance parental food literacy. However, the extent to which these services may influence behaviour change or impact family food intakes is currently unknown. Therefore further research is required to evaluate the healthfulness and effectiveness of MKSSs.

Associations between dietary behaviours and the mental and physical well-being of Swedish adolescents

AimsThis study aims to investigate the association between dietary behaviours, overweight/obesity, and mental health and well-being among Swedish adolescents.MethodsData from the 2017/2018 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey of 3692 adolescents aged ≈11, ≈13, and ≈15 years was analysed. We evaluated the prevalence and association of dietary behaviours, characterised by daily intake of fruits and vegetables, consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and sweets once per week, and daily consumption of family meals and breakfast, with socioeconomic and demographic factors. Multivariate logistic regression models (adjusted and unadjusted) were then used to examine the relationship between dietary behaviours, overweight/obesity, and mental health and well-being including psychosomatic complaints, life satisfaction, and school-related pressure.ResultsBoys were more likely to eat breakfast and have meals together with their family than girls, but their fruit and vegetable intake was lower compared to girls. Adolescents with lower socioeconomic status (low family affluence, families perceived ’not well-off’ and two unemployed parents), single-parent households and twoforeign born parents were more likely to engage in poorer dietary behaviours. Daily breakfast, family meals, fruit and vegetable intake were positively associated with mental health and well-being. Specifically, daily family meals were linked to higher life satisfaction, fewer psychosomatic complaints, and reduced school-related pressure. Breakfast emerged as a beneficial dietary habit, associated with higher life satisfaction, and a lower likelihood of psychosomatic complaints, school-related pressure, and overweight/obesity. Fruit and vegetable consumption was consistently associated with better mental health and well-being while associations between SSBs and sweets were mixed.ConclusionsImproving mental health and well-being, along with tackling the rising rates of mental illness and challenges related to overweight/obesity in adolescents constitute key public health priorities. Implementing policies that promote the intake of fruits and vegetables, reducing the consumption of SSBs and sweets, and emphasizing the value of having breakfast and sharing family meals could offer a cost-effective public health intervention.

Protective role of family mealtime frequency against disordered eating behaviors: Racial and ethnic differences

Family mealtimes have been recognized for their positive effect on child and adolescent health outcomes. Frequent family meals have been shown to have protective effects in reducing disordered eating behaviors, but the variability of these effects across different racial and ethnic backgrounds has been less explored. To address the gap, the current study utilizes a sample of 33,417 families with children (ages 6–17) in the United States who participated in the 2022 National Surveys of Children's Health (NSCH). Logistic regressions were conducted to examine the association between family mealtime frequency and the manifestation of disordered eating across youth from diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds. Our findings revealed that frequent family mealtimes are associated with a lower risk of engaging in disordered eating behaviors in youth. However, there were disparities in the associations between family mealtime frequency and the prevalence of disordered eating behaviors among children from different racial/ethnic backgrounds. Youth who never participated in family mealtimes were at a greater risk of engaging in disordered eating behaviors among those identifying as non-Hispanic Black or of ‘other’ racial groups. In youth identifying with multiple races, the frequency of family was not associated with the odds of disordered eating behaviors. The results provide insights into the nuanced influence of family mealtime frequency on disordered eating based on diverse racial/ethnic groups. This highlights the need for future studies to identify factors associated with racial/ethnic identities that may contribute to disordered eating behaviors in youth to identify the unique needs and challenges faced by families in leveraging the protective effect of family mealtimes.