title: Family meals and diet quality among children and adolescents in North Carolina.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the relationship between diet quality and frequency of family meals throughout childhood and adolescence.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study of children ages birth through 17 years (n = 1,992) using data from the 2010 North Carolina Child Health and Monitoring Program. Multiple logistic regression was used to estimate the associations between family meals and fruit intake, vegetable intake, and sugar-sweetened beverage intake among younger children, older children, and adolescents.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In adjusted analyses, participating in ≥ 5 family meals/wk was associated with less sugar-sweetened beverage intake among younger (OR 2.04; CI 1.06-3.93) and older children (OR 2.12; 95% CI 1.27-3.55), greater vegetable intake among older children (OR 1.87; 95% CI 1.08-3.24) and adolescents (OR 1.81; 95% CI 1.14-2.88), and greater fruit intake among adolescents (OR 2.11; 95% CI 1.40-3.19).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Strategies to encourage families to establish regular family meals early in life and continue them throughout childhood and adolescence is warranted.
authors: Iredell County Public Health Department, Statesville, NC.
authors: Sara K
authors: SK
authors: Fink
authors: Department of Public Health Sciences, College of Health and Human Services, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC. Electronic address: efracine@uncc.edu.
authors: Elizabeth F
authors: EF
authors: Racine
authors: Department of Public Health Sciences, College of Health and Human Services, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC.
authors: Rebecca E
authors: RE
authors: Mueffelmann
authors: Health Promotion Program, Mecklenburg County Health Department, Charlotte, NC.
authors: Megan N
authors: MN
authors: Dean
authors: Department of Social Work, College of Health and Human Services, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC.
authors: Robert
authors: R
authors: Herman-Smith
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017195:Adolescent Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D001628:Beverages / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002648:Child; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D062407:Meals; D009657:North Carolina; D014675:Vegetables
keywords: adolescents; children; diet quality; family meals