title: Family meals and eating practices among mothers in Santos, Brazil: A population-based study.
abstract: This study investigates family meals among mothers and explores associations between eating with family and sociodemographic characteristics, body mass index, and eating practices. A population-based cross-sectional study, using complex cluster-sampling, was conducted in the city of Santos, Brazil with 439 mothers. Frequency of family meals was assessed by asking if mothers did or did not usually have a) breakfast, b) lunch, and c) dinner with family. Linear regression analyses were conducted for the number of meals eaten with family per day and each of the potential explanatory variables, adjusting for the mother's age. Poisson regression with robust variance was used to analyze each factor associated with eating with family as classified categorically: a) sharing meals with family, b) not eating any meals with family. Only 16.4% (n = 72) of participants did not eat any meals with family. From the 83.6% (n = 367) of mothers that had at least one family meal per day, 69.70% (n = 306) ate dinner with their families. Mothers aged ≥40 years reported significantly fewer meals eaten with family compared to mothers aged 30-39 years (β: -0.26, p = 0.04). Having family meals was 54% more prevalent among mothers with ≥12 years of education (PR for no meals eaten with family: 0.54, 95% CI: 0.30; 0.96, p = 0.03), when compared to mothers with less than nine years of education. Eating no meals with family was 85% more prevalent among mothers who reported that eating was one of the biggest pleasures in their lives (PR: 1.85, 95% CI: 1.21; 2.82, p = 0.004). We suggest the need for further research investigating the effects of family meals on mothers' health through nutritional and phenomenological approaches.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health, Clinics and Institutions, Institute of Health and Society, Federal University of São Paulo, Campus Baixada Santista, Rua Silva Jardim, 136 - Santos/SP - CEP, Santos, SP 11015-020, Brazil. Electronic address: pri.sato@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Priscila de Morais
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, University of São Paulo, Av. Dr. Arnaldo, 715 - São Paulo/SP - CEP, São Paulo, SP 01255-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Bárbara Hatzlhoffer
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Lourenço
authors.affiliation: Center for Human Nutrition, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Room W2041A, Baltimore, MD 21205-2179, USA.
authors.forename: Angela Cristina Bizzotto
authors.initials: ACB
authors.lastname: Trude
authors.affiliation: Department of Health, Clinics and Institutions, Institute of Health and Society, Federal University of São Paulo, Campus Baixada Santista, Rua Silva Jardim, 136 - Santos/SP - CEP, Santos, SP 11015-020, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ramiro Fernandez
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Unsain
authors.affiliation: Department of Health, Clinics and Institutions, Institute of Health and Society, Federal University of São Paulo, Campus Baixada Santista, Rua Silva Jardim, 136 - Santos/SP - CEP, Santos, SP 11015-020, Brazil.
authors.forename: Patrícia Rocha
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Movement Sciences, Institute of Health and Society, Federal University of São Paulo, Campus Baixada Santista, Rua Silva Jardim, 136 - Santos/SP - CEP, Santos, SP 11015-020, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paula Andrea
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, University of São Paulo, Av. Dr. Arnaldo, 715 - São Paulo/SP - CEP, São Paulo, SP 01255-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fernanda Baeza
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Scagliusi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001938:Brazil; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000208:ethnology; D004522:Educational Status; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D062407:Meals / Q000208:ethnology; D009035:Mothers; D009765:Obesity / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology*; D050177:Overweight / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology*; D057181:Pleasure; D057566:Self Report; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013851:Thinness / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology*; D014504:Urban Health / Q000208:ethnology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Body mass index; Commensality; Eating practices; Family meals; Mothers