Children who have regular dinners with their parents develop a healthier attitude with food. Eating meals together also helps in preventing obesity, managing weight loss and other eating disorders, a team of researchers said.
The study, published in the Family Relations journal, suggested that dinners with family enable the children to develop good dietary habits and establish stronger bonds with their parents. As it is often at the dining table that families communicate, children identify the experience with positive emotions and equate this to satiety.
"Family communication is key to the developmental processes that promote - or disrupt - healthy eating habits, physical activity, and internal cues to satiety," said study author Dr. Barbara H. Fiese, per Psych Central. When the children are properly engaged at the dining table and see their parents' concern, they are likely to steer away from unhealthy diet habits that can lead to obesity and weight problems.
Childhood Obesity Prevention: The Observations Of Researchers
Fiese and her research team studied 200 families who shared dinners together. In families whose dinners lasted at least 20 minutes and took place four times a week minimum, the children significantly weighed less compared to families who have shorter and fewer dinner times. The researchers also learned that parents who are permissive, or indulgent, or didn't give their kids boundaries have children who ate more junk and sugary foods instead of fruits and vegetables.
Meanwhile, the study confirmed what experts already know in relation to how using gadgets while eating can perpetuate bad eating habits. The researchers implied that this is because the dining experience is missing communication and interaction between the parents and their kids. Mothers and fathers who tend to text while eating also become less attentive to what their children have, per Science Daily.
Childhood Obesity Prevention: The Role Of Parents
Previous studies have already determined that parenting and feeding practices instilled on children are big factors to preventing obesity. But the study pointed out that many healthy-living campaigns do not emphasize the role of the parents. Thus, it is their recommendation that running food campaigns and ads - on print, radio, TV and social media - should include helpful hints for parents as well. Below is a video example of a good campaign that includes parents, which the researchers support in their study:
