title: Eating fruits and vegetables. An ethnographic study of American and French family dinners.
abstract: The French eat more fruits and vegetables than Americans and have lower rates of childhood obesity. This ethnographic study compares various aspects of meal environment in sixteen households in LA, California and Paris, France, and offers insights on the relationship between local practices and preferences and children's consumption of fruits and vegetables. Our analysis of video-recorded naturalist data reveals that the consumption of fruits and vegetables is linked to the cultural organization of dinner--what, when and how food is served--and to local beliefs about children's eating practices. We also found that the French model for dinnertime prioritizes the eating of fruits and vegetables more than the American model does. We propose that local eating models should be taken into account in research on childhood obesity and in prevention programs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, University of California, 341 Haines Hall, Box 951553, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1553, USA. Electronic address: tksadlik@ucla.edu.
authors.forename: Tamar
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kremer-Sadlik
authors.affiliation: Université Sorbonne Nouvelle - Paris 3, 5 rue de l'Ecole de Médecine, Paris 75005, France.
authors.forename: Aliyah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Morgenstern
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, University of California, 341 Haines Hall, Box 951553, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1553, USA.
authors.forename: Chloe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.affiliation: Université Sorbonne Nouvelle - Paris 3, 5 rue de l'Ecole de Médecine, Paris 75005, France.
authors.forename: Pauline
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Beaupoil
authors.affiliation: Université Sorbonne Nouvelle - Paris 3, 5 rue de l'Ecole de Médecine, Paris 75005, France.
authors.forename: Stéphanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Caët
authors.affiliation: Université Sorbonne Nouvelle - Paris 3, 5 rue de l'Ecole de Médecine, Paris 75005, France.
authors.forename: Camille
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Debras
authors.affiliation: Université Sorbonne Nouvelle - Paris 3, 5 rue de l'Ecole de Médecine, Paris 75005, France.
authors.forename: Marine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: le Mené
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004032:Diet / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000592:standards; D004435:Eating; D005006:Ethnicity; D005190:Family; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005518:Food Preferences; D005638:Fruit; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D015141:Los Angeles; D062407:Meals; D010297:Paris; D014675:Vegetables
keywords: Children's eating practices; Ethnography; Family dinner; French and American meals; Meal structure; Socialization to fruit and vegetable consumption