Children who eat with their family have a lower risk of teenage obesity. (Image: CC0 1.0)
New research has shown children in families who eat around the same table have less chance of growing up overweight or obese. The study, from the University of Minnesota and Columbia University, suggests a key factor in fighting obesity could be how often a family eats together.
Researchers from the two universities compared data related to sex, age, socioeconomic status, and BMI, from many weight-related studies where the prime focus was teenagers. The studies, comparing the weight of over 2,200 teenagers, found 51 percent were overweight, while 22 percent were classed as obese.
More strikingly, it found that, of the teenagers who never ate a meal with their families, 60 percent were overweight, and 29 percent were obese. This link was found by researchers after a follow up was done 10 years later.
The study also reveals that children who eat with their families even once or twice a week have a 33 percent lower chance of growing up overweight or obese than those who never have meals as a family.
Eating three to four meals together a week reduces the chances of obesity by half. Researchers suggest this could be because family meals, in comparison to eating out or leaving children to prepare their own food, are healthier. In addition, eating together brings families closer and builds bonds.
The researchers agree that eating together isn’t the only way to prevent obesity, but it could play an important role. When eating together, parents set a healthy eating example to their children by serving nutritious meals. Children who are actively involved in the buying of ingredients and preparation of meals also have a greater understanding of healthy nutrition.
Lead researcher, Jerica M. Berge, assistant professor of family medicine at the University of Minnesota, said even focussing on having one or two meals together a week could make all the difference to preventing adolescent obesity.