University of Auckland, School of Population Health, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand.
University of Minnesota, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, 1300 South Second St, Minneapolis, MN 55454, USA.
Prev Med. 2018 Aug;113:7-12. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2018.05.006. Epub 2018 May 7.
A growing body of research suggests that children and adolescents who share frequent meals with their families report better nutrition indicators, family relationships and mental health. Yet, little research has examined whether parents who share meals with their families report the same indicators of wellbeing. The current paper addresses this question using population-based survey data and a sample of parents in the United States (n = 889, mean age 31 years) that responded to the fourth wave of the Project EAT study in 2015-16. Multiple regression models were used to examine associations between frequency of family meals and indicators of nutritional, social and emotional wellbeing, controlling for demographic and household characteristics. Analyses also examined if associations were moderated by sex, as mothers tend to be more responsible for household and childcare tasks. Results suggested that parent report of frequent family meals was associated with higher levels of family functioning, greater self-esteem, and lower levels of depressive symptoms and stress (p-value for all <0.001). Frequency of family meals was also related to greater fruit and vegetable consumption (both p < 0.05), but was unrelated to other indicators of parent body size and nutritional wellbeing. Associations between frequency of family meals and parent wellbeing were similar for both mothers and fathers. Findings from the current study suggest that frequent family meals may contribute to the social and emotional wellbeing of parents. Future strategies to promote family meals should consider the potential impacts on the health and wellbeing of the whole family.
越来越多的研究表明，经常与家人一起用餐的儿童和青少年报告称，他们的营养指标、家庭关系和心理健康状况更好。然而，很少有研究调查是否与家人一起用餐的父母也报告了同样的幸福感指标。本研究使用基于人群的调查数据和美国父母样本（n=889，平均年龄 31 岁）来回答这个问题，这些父母在 2015-2016 年期间回应了 EAT 研究的第四波调查。多回归模型用于检验家庭用餐频率与营养、社会和情感幸福感指标之间的关联，控制了人口统计学和家庭特征。分析还检查了这些关联是否受到性别的调节，因为母亲往往更负责家庭和儿童保育任务。结果表明，父母报告经常与家人一起用餐与更高水平的家庭功能、更高的自尊心以及更低水平的抑郁症状和压力（所有 p 值均<0.001）有关。家庭用餐频率也与更多的水果和蔬菜消费有关（两者均 p<0.05），但与父母体型和营养幸福感的其他指标无关。家庭用餐频率与父母幸福感之间的关联在母亲和父亲之间相似。本研究的结果表明，经常与家人一起用餐可能有助于父母的社会和情感幸福感。未来促进家庭用餐的策略应考虑到对整个家庭健康和幸福感的潜在影响。
