How the Length of Family Meals Impacts Pediatric Diet and Habits

A study published in JAMA Network Open on April 3, 2023, analyzed the effects of family mealtime on pediatric nutrient intake, diet, and eating habits. Researchers determined that increasing the length of family mealtimes improves pediatric dietary behaviors.

Pediatric nutrition plays a critical role in multiple phases of development. In addition to promoting physical growth, proper nutrition is essential for cognitive development, immune system maturity, and more.

Based on meta-analyses of observational studies, this clinical trial recruited patients between November 8, 2016, and May 4, 2017. Focusing on dyads with one parent and one child 6–11 years old, the study recruited 80 parent–child dyads. About 30 dyads were unable or unwilling to meet the inclusion criteria, leaving researchers to implement the protocol on 50 dyads.

Investigators implemented a protocol approved by the Max Planck Institute for Human Development Ethics Committee, with written consent from parents and oral permission from the pediatric patient.

The dietary intervention first involved parents completing an online preassessment of their family and children’s eating habits and behaviors. Each dyad was brought into the lab for one meal that was the length of their reported mealtime. Additionally, they were asked to return and given a mealtime of 50% longer than their reported time.

Coinciding with the researchers’ hypothesis, a longer mealtime increased children’s consumption of fruits and vegetables. Comparatively, the consumption of bread and cold cuts was not significantly different between the longer and shorter mealtimes. Children also consumed more water and sweetened beverages during the longer mealtime.

In addition to analyzing the types of food consumed, the researchers also analyzed behaviors during mealtimes. Researchers reported that interpersonal communication and self-rated atmosphere did not differ between the two conditions.

Meanwhile, the children did eat significantly slower, with fewer bites per minute. In addition, children also stayed full for a more extended time.

“These strategies may not always work; habit change takes effort, but the necessary competencies can be fostered. The effect of family meal duration on children’s intake of fruits and vegetables requires the availability of fruits and vegetables on the table. If the effects of this simple, inexpensive, and low-threshold intervention prove stable over time, it could contribute to addressing a major public health problem,” concluded the researchers in the publication.