390 likes | 609 Views
Family Meals. spell S – U – C – C – E – S - S. What does “family meal” mean to you? Is it individually grazing in the kitchen? Dining from the dashboard of a car?. Is there time for meals?. Are family meals important? How frequent does your family have a meal?.
E N D
Family Meals spell S – U – C – C – E – S - S
What does “family meal” mean to you? Is it individually grazing in the kitchen? Dining from the dashboard of a car?
Are family meals important? How frequent does your family have a meal?
% Teens Having Family Dinners 7X/Week 2005 CASA National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse X: Teens and Parents http://www.casacolumbia.org
What happened to the family meal? • Conflicting schedules • Both parents working • Long work hours • Split shifts • Meetings • Sports practices • Music lessons • ↓ Cooking skills
How about YOU? Reflect on your own experiences with family mealtime . . . • Share your best memories of family meals growing up • Would someone like to describe your “family meals” ?
S = Smarter Children ↑ language acquisition(C. Snow, Harvard Grad School of Education) ↑ vocabulary = better readers and students 5 or more family dinners per week likelier to receive either all A’s or mostly A’s and B’s
% Teens Who Get A’s/B’s in School by Frequency of Family Dinners 2005 CASA National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse X: Teens and Parents http://www.casacolumbia.org
Academic Performance • Teens who have frequent family dinners are likelier to get better grades in school and higher academic performance is associated with lower substance abuse risk.
Jeopardy’s Million Dollar Man – Ken Jennings
Dinner Conversation Topics • Friends and Social Activities • Current Events • Family Issues • Religion • Curfew • Peer pressure • Substance abuse
U = Unlikely to smoke… http://www.casafamilyday.org
5 or more family dinners verses 2 or less are: • Three times likelier to try marijuana • Two and a half times likelier to smoke cigarettes daily • More than 2x times likelier to drink alcohol or get drunk weekly
5 or more dinners verses 2 or less: • 3 Times likelier to report that half or more of their friends use marijuana • Twice as likely to know a friend or classmate who uses Ecstasy • 80% likelier to know a friend or classmate who abuses prescription drugs • 40% likelier to know a friend who uses acid cocaine or heroin
Family Dinners and Teen Substance-Abuse Risk 2005 CASA National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse X: Teens and Parents http://www.casacolumbia.org
Children who have meals together have an easier time being courteous and making polite conversation. C = Courteous and Conversational
C = Connected to Family • Makes family relationships stronger.
Family Relationships • Parents are proud of teens • Low levels of tension and stress • Confide in parents
What’s going on at the table?Less than 3x vs. 5-7x weekly • 32% likelier to dine with TV on • 150% say there is not much talking • 2x as likely to say that dinners don’t last long enough.
E = Eating Better ↑ fruits and vegetables ↑ grains ↑ calcium-rich foods ↑ protein ↑ iron ↑ fiber ↑ vitamins ↓ soft drinks Neumark-Sztainer, JADA (103), 2003
Family Meals: Could they help prevent overweight? • Consistent mealtimes → food security • ↑ nutrient-dense foods, ↓ nutrient-poor foods • Parents role model healthy eating at meals • Prevent “disengaged” eating and promote “focused” eating, respond to hunger/satiety • Promote sense of belonging
TV and Family Meals: Kaiser Family Foundation 1999 (1090 2-7 yrs old; 2065 8-18 yrs old) Is TV usually on during meals in your home? (% yes) Total sample 58% 2-7 yrs 47% 8-18 yrs 65% www.kff.org/content/archive/1477/vchip_s.pdf
Strategies for family meals: Make a priority
Strategies for family meals: Plan ahead
Strategies for family meals: Create positive atmosphere
Family Meals: Impossible Dream or Realistic Goal?
Family Dinners, 1998-2005 2005 CASA National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse X: Teens and Parents http://www.casacolumbia.org
Other Benefits • Less Fights • Less suspensions • Less Sex • Lower risk for suicide • Healthier Food Balanced Meals
Family Meals spell S – U – C – C – E – S - S
This presentation on Family Mealtimewas made possible by thePurdue UniversityCenter for Families’Promoting Family Meals Project. For more information go to: www.cfs.purdue.edu/CFF/promotingfamilymeals