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Examining the Relationships Between Family Meal Practices, Family Stressors, and the Weight of Youth in the Family

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Annals of Behavioral Medicine

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

The authors have no conflict of interest to disclose.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55454, USA

    Leslie A. Lytle Ph.D., R.D., Mary O. Hearst Ph.D., M.P.H. & Anne Samuelson M.P.H.

  2. School of Nursing, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55454, USA

    Jayne Fulkerson Ph.D.

  3. Division of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA

    David M. Murray Ph.D. & Elizabeth Klein Ph.D.

  4. HealthPartners Research Foundation, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Brian Martinson Ph.D.

  5. Kinesiology and Health Education, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78701, USA

    Keryn Pasch Ph.D., M.P.H.

Authors
  1. Leslie A. Lytle Ph.D., R.D.
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  2. Mary O. Hearst Ph.D., M.P.H.
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  3. Jayne Fulkerson Ph.D.
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  4. David M. Murray Ph.D.
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  5. Brian Martinson Ph.D.
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  6. Elizabeth Klein Ph.D.
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  7. Keryn Pasch Ph.D., M.P.H.
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  8. Anne Samuelson M.P.H.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Leslie A. Lytle Ph.D., R.D..

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Cite this article

Lytle, L.A., Hearst, M.O., Fulkerson, J. et al. Examining the Relationships Between Family Meal Practices, Family Stressors, and the Weight of Youth in the Family. ann. behav. med. 41, 353–362 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-010-9243-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-010-9243-z

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