title: An Exploration of How Family Dinners Are Served and How Service Style Is Associated With Dietary and Weight Outcomes in Children.
abstract: To explore how families serve meals and how different service styles are associated with responsive feeding and child dietary and weight outcomes.
  
  
  
  Baseline data from a subset (n = 75) of randomized controlled trial participants (Healthy Home Offerings via the Mealtime Environment (HOME) Plus study, aged 8-12 years) were analyzed using a series of linear regression models. Adjusted means (95% confidence intervals) and beta coefficients (SEs) are presented.
  
  
  
  Families were most likely to report plated meal service (36% of families), followed by family-style (29%). Family-style was significantly associated with a lower mean level of food restriction (P = .01). No significant associations were observed between style of meal service and child outcomes (all P > .05).
  
  
  
  Although plated meal service may seem like a desirable strategy for ensuring that children eat a healthier diet, the current results did not provide support for this association. Evidence was found to support the use of family-style meal service to promote the use of responsive feeding.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Medical School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN. Electronic address: kloth@umn.edu.
authors.forename: Katie A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Loth
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Horning
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Friend
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.
authors.forename: Dianne
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Neumark-Sztainer
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.
authors.forename: Jayne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fulkerson
mesh_terms: D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D004032:Diet; D005190:Family; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D062407:Meals; D010287:Parent-Child Relations
keywords: child; family meals; family-style; meal service style; weight status