Correlations between family meals and psychosocial well-being among adolescents.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the association between frequency of family meals and multiple indicators of adolescent health and well-being (tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use; academic performance; self-esteem; depressive symptoms; and suicide involvement) after controlling for family connectedness.


METHODS
Data come from a 1998-1999 school-based survey of 4746 adolescents from ethnically and socioeconomically diverse communities in the Minneapolis/St Paul, Minn, metropolitan area. Logistic regression, controlling for family connectedness and sociodemographic variables, was used to identify relationships between family meals and adolescent health behaviors.


RESULTS
Approximately one quarter (26.8%) of respondents ate 7 or more family meals in the past week, and approximately one quarter (23.1%) ate family meals 2 times or less. Frequency of family meals was inversely associated with tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use; low grade point average; depressive symptoms; and suicide involvement after controlling for family connectedness (odds ratios, 0.76-0.93).


CONCLUSIONS
Findings suggest that eating family meals may enhance the health and well-being of adolescents. Public education on the benefits of family mealtime is recommended.
Center for Adolescent Health and Development, Department of Pediatrics, Medical School, University of Minnesota, MN, USA. eisen012@umn.edu
Marla E
ME
Eisenberg
Rachel E
RE
Olson
Dianne
D
Neumark-Sztainer
Mary
M
Story
Linda H
LH
Bearinger
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005195:Family Relations; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008603:Mental Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008910:Minnesota / Q000453:epidemiology; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000706:statistics & numerical data