Table 2.
Summary of Health Outcomes.
| Author(s) and Year | Reference Number | Sample | Main Outcomes | Study Design |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health Outcomes | ||||
| Anderson and Whitaker (2010) | [20] | 8850 children aged 4 | Children who ate dinner with their families more than five nights per week were less likely to be obese. | Cross-Sectional |
| Berge et al. (2014) | [33] | 120 children aged 6–12 from low-income and minority communities | Positive family and parent-level interpersonal dynamics during family meals were associated with reduced risk of children being overweight. Positive family and parent-level food-related dynamics during family meals were associated with reduced risk of childhood obesity. |
Cross-Sectional |
| Fiese et al. (2012) | [32] | 200 families with children aged 5–12 | Families with overweight or obese children spent less time on a family meal and spent less time in positive communication than families with children of a healthy weight. | Observational |
| Franko et al. (2008) | [28] | 2379 females tracked annually from age 9–19 | More frequent family meals from ages 9–11 predicted lower likelihood of bulimic symptoms, drive for thinness, and smoking behaviors during adolescence. Family cohesion mediated the relationships between family meals and risk of smoking behaviors. | Longitudinal |
| Gable et al. (2007) | [55] | 8549 children were followed from kindergarten through third grade | Children who ate fewer family meals during kindergarten and first grader were more likely to be overweight in third grade. | Longitudinal |
| Hammons and Fiese (2011) | [45] | 182,836 children and adolescents across 17 studies | Children and adolescents who ate meals with family 3 or more times per week had healthier weight status than those who ate fewer than 3 meals with family per week. | Meta-Analysis |
| Jones et al. (2014) | [63] | 337 preschool-age children | Children who participated in frequent family meals were more likely to get 10 or more hours of sleep per night. | Cross-Sectional |
| Kitzman-Ulrich et al. (2010) | [64] | Youth (elementary age–adolescents) who participated in weight loss, physical activity, or dietary interventions | Family functioning and parenting styles should be investigated as potential mediators of intervention outcomes in weight loss and physical activity interventions. | Systematic Review |
| Loth et al. (2015) | [62] | 2382 middle and high school students, Project EAT | Greater frequency of family meals was associated with decreased odds of engaging in unhealthy weight control behaviors in boys, and dieting, unhealthy and extreme weight control behaviors in girls. | Cross-Sectional |
| McCurdy et al. (2014) | [31] | 164 low-income, preschool-aged children and their mothers | Maternal presence when the child ate was associated with lower BMI z-scores for children. | Cross-Sectional |
| Munoz et al. (2007) | [61] | 134 female undergraduate students | Overall family stability was a more comprehensive predictor or bulimia symptom than family meal frequency alone. | Cross-Sectional Retrospective |
| Neumark-Sztainer et al. (2008) | [60] | 2516 adolescents, Project EAT | Adolescent girls who ate five or more meals per week with their families in middle school were less likely to engage in extreme weight control behaviors five years later. | Longitudinal |
| Piazza-Waggoner, et al. (2011) | [65] | 56 families with obese and non-obese children | Parents and caregivers of obese children reported greater mealtime challenges and a less positive mealtime environment than caregivers of non-obese children. There were no differences in observed mealtime interactions in families with obese and non-obese children. | Observational |
| Rollins et al. (2010) | [56] | 16,770 children aged 6–11 (national sample) | Family meals were protective against obesity in non-Hispanic White children and non-Hispanic Black boys, were a marginal risk factor for obesity for Hispanic boys living in low-education households. | Cross-Sectional |
| Sen (2006) | [58] | 5041 youth aged 12–15 (national sample) | Family meal frequency at age 12 was associated with healthier weight status at age 12 and age 15 for White participants. No associations between family meal frequency and weight status for Black and Hispanic participants. |
Cross-Sectional |
| Skeer and Ballard (2013) | [57] | Families with adolescent children | Frequent family meals were associated with decreased risk for overweight and obesity in females. | Literature Review |
| Taveras et al. (2005) | [59] | 14,431 children aged 9–14 (national sample) | Children who ate dinner with their families most days or everyday were less likely to be overweight than children who ate dinner with their families never or some days. | Longitudinal |
| Utter et al. (2008) | [50] | 3245 adolescents (national sample) | Frequency of family meals was not significantly related to BMI when demographics were included in the model. | Cross-Sectional |
| Wansink and van Kleef (2014) | [30] | 190 parents and 148 children in third-sixth grade | Families who regularly ate dinner in the dining room or kitchen had lower BMIs (for both adults and children). Helping cook dinner was associated with higher BMI for females and remaining at the table until everyone is finished eating was associated with lower BMI for males. |
Cross-Sectional |