title: Regular family breakfast was associated with children's overweight and parental education: Results from the ENERGY cross-sectional study.
abstract: This study aims to assess (i) the prevalence of having regular family breakfast, lunch, dinner (i.e. 5-7days/week together with their family) among 10-12year olds in Europe, (ii) the association between family meals and child weight status, and (iii) potential differences in having family meals according to country of residence, gender, ethnicity and parental levels of education.
  
  
  
  7716 children (mean age: 11.5±0.7years, 52% girls) in eight European countries (Belgium, Greece, Hungary, The Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland) participated in a cross-sectional school-based survey in 2010. Data on family meals were self-reported by the parents and children's height and weight were objectively measured to determine overweight status. Binary regression analyses assessed the associations of having regular family meals (adjusted for potential confounders) with children's overweight/obesity and to assess potential differences in having family meals according to gender, ethnicity and parental education, in the total sample and for each country respectively.
  
  
  
  The prevalence of regular family meals was 35%, 37% and 76% for breakfast, lunch and dinner respectively. Having regular family breakfast, but not lunch or dinner, was inversely associated with overweight (OR=0.78 (95% CI 0.67-0.91)). Children of higher educated parents were more likely to have regular family breakfast (1.63 (95% CI 1.42-1.86)) and less likely to have regular family lunch (0.72 (95% CI 0.63-0.82)) compared to children of lower educated parents.
  
  
  
  This study showed that having regular family breakfast - but not other family meals- was inversely associated with children's weight status.
authors: Department of Public Health, Sport and Nutrition, University of Agder, Postboks 422, N-4604 Kristiansand, Norway. Electronic address: froydis.n.vik@uia.no.
authors: Frøydis N
authors: FN
authors: Vik
authors: Department of Public Health, Sport and Nutrition, University of Agder, Postboks 422, N-4604 Kristiansand, Norway; EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Postbus 7057, 1007 MB Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, VU University Medical Center, Postbus 7057, 1007 MB Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: saskia@tevelderesearch.com.
authors: Saskia J
authors: SJ
authors: Te Velde
authors: Department of Public Health, Ghent University, De Pintelaan 185, 4K3, 9000 Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: Wendy.VanLippevelde@ugent.be.
authors: Wendy
authors: W
authors: Van Lippevelde
authors: Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Science & Education, Harokopio University, 70, El Venizelou Ave, 17671, Kallithea, Athens, Greece. Electronic address: manios@hua.gr.
authors: Yannis
authors: Y
authors: Manios
authors: Department of Paediatrics, Medical Faculty, University of Pécs, 48-as tér 1, 7622 Pécs, Hungary; Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometrics and Epidemiology, German Centre for Vertigo and Balance Disorders, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany. Electronic address: e.k.kovacs@gmail.com.
authors: Eva
authors: E
authors: Kovacs
authors: Slovenian Heart Foundation, Postboks 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia. Electronic address: drustvo-zasrce@siol.net.
authors: Natasa
authors: N
authors: Jan
authors: GENUD (Growth, Exercise, Nutrition and Development) Research Group, Instituto Agroalimentario de Aragón (IA2), Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Aragón (IIS Aragón), Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERObn), University of Zaragoza, C/Domingo Miral s/n, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain. Electronic address: lmoreno@unizar.es.
authors: Luis A
authors: LA
authors: Moreno
authors: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Socinstrasse 57, 4051 Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland. Electronic address: bettina.bringolf@unibas.ch.
authors: Bettina
authors: B
authors: Bringolf-Isler
authors: EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Postbus 7057, 1007 MB Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, VU University Medical Center, Postbus 7057, 1007 MB Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: j.brug@vumc.nl.
authors: Johannes
authors: J
authors: Brug
authors: Department of Public Health, Sport and Nutrition, University of Agder, Postboks 422, N-4604 Kristiansand, Norway. Electronic address: elling.bere@uia.no.
authors: Elling
authors: E
authors: Bere
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D062407:Meals; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Breakfast; Children; Cross-sectional; Europe; Family meals; Weight status