Deconstructing family meals: Do family structure, gender and employment status influence the odds of having a family meal?

Abstract

Objectives We assessed the odds of having a family dinner by parental gender, family structure and parental employment. Methods This study used data from the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) (2006–2008). Multivariate analyses assessed the odds of two outcomes among parents: 1) eating at all with children and 2) having a family dinner. Results Single men had lower odds of eating at all with children and eating a family dinner in comparison to partnered/married males. Partnered/married women had increased odds of eating at all with children and eating a family dinner compared to their partnered/married male counterparts. While single women had increased odds of eating at all with children compared to partnered/married males, no difference was detected in the odds of having a family dinner. Among dual-headed households, women had lower odds of eating a family dinner when both parents were employed compared a dual-headed household with employed male/non-employed female. There were no differences among men regardless of their employment status or that of their partner/spouse. Conclusions Family structure, parental gender and employment status all influence the odds of having a family dinner. Future research on family meals should consider all of these factors to better understand trends and disparities across household compositions.

Domain Satisfaction and Overall Life Satisfaction: Testing the Spillover-Crossover Model in Chilean Dual-Earner Couples

“…However, contrary to what was hypothesized, the same results were obtained for men. Although, as previously discussed, this result may be associated with Latin American culture [ 95 ], this finding may also reflect men being more actively engaged in family issues, as it has been reported in dual earner-couples in different countries [ 97 , 98 ]. This increases their involvement in the family domain, which in turn may lead to satisfaction with family life, a strong contributor to their overall life satisfaction.…”

“…Other dyadic studies have reported a similar lack of crossover effects [ 30 ], yet this is an unexpected result in this study, as previous evidence suggests that individuals who share the same environment and experiences (i.e., family members) also share eating habits and satisfaction with food-related life [ 14 , 96 ]. This result may reflect a low frequency of shared meals in dual-earner couples [ 13 , 17 , 97 ], which is associated with time constraints, in particular for full-time employees [ 98 ] and also in dual-earner couples with conflicting work schedules [ 13 ]. Low family meal frequency has been related to unhealthy eating habits [ 13 , 97 ], as well as with lower levels of satisfaction with food-related life [ 14 , 62 ].…”

“…This result may reflect a low frequency of shared meals in dual-earner couples [ 13 , 17 , 97 ], which is associated with time constraints, in particular for full-time employees [ 98 ] and also in dual-earner couples with conflicting work schedules [ 13 ]. Low family meal frequency has been related to unhealthy eating habits [ 13 , 97 ], as well as with lower levels of satisfaction with food-related life [ 14 , 62 ]. However, satisfaction with food-related life is about eating habits but also family interactions around mealtimes [ 14 , 21 ].…”

Diet Quality and Satisfaction with Life, Family Life, and Food-Related Life across Families: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study with Mother-Father-Adolescent Triads

“…To the best of our knowledge, no studies have assessed the relationship between these variables while studying different family members simultaneously. In parallel, existing research on food parenting practices and family meals has predominantly focused on mothers [ 17 , 36 , 37 ]. However, fathers also play an important role in their children’s eating habits due to women’s rising participation in the formal labor market.…”

Home food availability, parents’/caregivers’ support, and family meals influence on dietary servings of low-income urban adolescent girls from Brazil

“…Evidence has shown associations between availability of nutrient-dense food items (e.g., fruits and vegetables, whole food and fiber products, and reduced/low-fat dairies) at home and youth intake of these foods [7]. Also, when energy-dense, nutrientpoor food items (e.g., high in saturated/trans fat, simple sugars, and sodium-sugar-sweetened beverages, cookies, and packed snacks) have no easy access and are not available at home; there is a decrease in these foods items consumption [8,9].…”