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. 2011 Jun;41(3):353-62.
doi: 10.1007/s12160-010-9243-z.

Examining the relationships between family meal practices, family stressors, and the weight of youth in the family

Leslie A Lytle  1 , Mary O Hearst, Jayne Fulkerson, David M Murray, Brian Martinson, Elizabeth Klein, Keryn Pasch, Anne Samuelson
Affiliations

Examining the relationships between family meal practices, family stressors, and the weight of youth in the family

Leslie A Lytle et al. Ann Behav Med. 2011 Jun.

Abstract

Background: Research is limited on how the social environment of the home is related to childhood obesity.

Purpose: The purpose of this research was to examine the relationships between positive family meal practices, family stressors, and the weight of youth and to examine parental weight status as a moderator of these relationships.

Methods: The study enrolled 368 parent/child dyads from a Minnesota sample. We used mediation analysis to examine the associations

Results: Families represented by an overweight parent reported fewer positive family meal practices (p < 0.001), higher levels of depression (p = 0.01), and fewer family rules (p = 0.02) as compared to families represented by a healthy weight parent. For overweight parents, positive family meal practices mediated the relationship between some family stressors and child weight.

Conclusions: This research suggests that the home environment may affect the weight of children in the family, and the effect is more pronounced in families with at least one overweight parent.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest Statement The authors have no conflict of interest to disclose.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Mediation models for the effect of positive family meal practices on the relationship between significant family stressors on child BMI z scores (n=368) (Adjusted for student age, student gender, parental college education (Y/N), qualify for free or reduced cost lunch (Y/N) and parental race). a Time demands as family stressor; z score=2.13 (p<0.05); % mediation=18.6%. b Lack of family rules as a family stressor; z score=2.4 (p<0.05); % mediation=37.8. c Difficulty enforcing rules as a family stressor; z score=2.13 (p<0.05); percent mediation=23.9
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