Barbara H. Fiese, Amber Hammons en Diana Grigsby-Toussaint onderzochten de rol van voeding op de gezondheid van kinderen in arme gezinnen. Momenteel woedt er (zeker in de VS) een regelrechte obesitas-epidemie die vooral arme gezinnen treft. De onderzoeksters stelden vast dat een gemiddeld gezin uit deze inkomensgroep 15-17 minuten samen aan tafel zit. De onderzoeksters stellen vast dat als deze tijd uitgebreid wordt tot 20-21 minuten dit de kinderen ten goede komt: “Children whose families engaged with each other over a 20-minute meal four times a week weighed significantly less than kids who left the table after 15 to 17 minutes. Over time, those extra minutes per meal add up and become really powerful.” (bron)

Voor alle duidelijkheid: obesitas bij arme gezinnen is een zeer complex probleem met veel beïnvloedende factoren. De onderzoekers stellen ook enkel een correlatie vast. Langer aan tafel zitten blijkt vooral een teken te zijn dat een gezin bewuster met voeding bezig is en er betere gezinsverbanden bestaan. Het heeft dus geen zin om gezinnen aan te raden met een stopwatch langer aan tafel te zitten terwijl ze naar elkaar kijken over een ongezonde maaltijd aftellend hoe lang ze er nog moeten zitten.

Abstract van het onderzoek:

There has been a growing interest in the role that shared family mealtimes may play in promoting the health and well-being of children. Families that regularly eat their main meal together four or more times a week are more likely to have children who do better in school, are of average weight, less likely to use drugs and alcohol at an early age, and consume more fruits and vegetables. The mere fact that families eat together does not address the process by which shared family mealtimes may protect children from unhealthy weight gain. Just as there is no simple explanation for the rising rates of obesity, the link between shared family mealtimes and childhood obesity is a complex one including socioeconomic and cultural context. In this paper, we provide an overview of how shared family mealtimes are embedded in a socio-cultural context that may either support or derail healthy eating patterns for children and youth. Evidence from an observational study of 200 family mealtimes demonstrates the complex interplay between socio-economic factors, family mealtime behaviors, and child obesity status. Families who had a child of healthy weight spent more time engaged with each other during the meal, expressed more positive communication, and considered mealtimes more important and meaningful than families who had a child who was overweight or obese. Using a cumulative risk model, it was found that the combination of family level and neighborhood risk factors predicted child overweight status. Recommendations are made for future research directions and policies directed toward families living in diverse economic circumstances.

Highlights

► We observed 200 families with a child with asthma during mealtimes.
► Healthy weight was associated with positive communication during meals.
► Obesity was best predicted with multiple risk including neighborhood poverty.
► Family mealtime social interactions may be affected by broader economic context.