Effects of eating dinner alone on overweight in Japanese adolescents: a cross-sectional survey

Abstract

BackgroundThe decrease in the frequency of family meals among Asian youth is often lamented. In Japan, adolescents who eat breakfast alone might have an unhealthy diet, which increases the risk of overweight or obese. However, there are few studies on the relationship between eating dinner alone and overweight in Japanese adolescents. Here, we investigated if eating dinner alone is associated with being overweight in Japanese adolescents of each sex.MethodsThe participants consisted of 890 seventh graders (12–13 years of age) from the junior high schools of Ina, Japan who were recruited from 2011 to 2012. Information about eating dinner alone was obtained using a self-reported questionnaire, which was given to each participant. The participants were classified into the following three groups: does not eat alone, eats alone 1–2 times/week, or eats alone ≥3 times/week. A logistic regression model was used to examine the relationship between eating dinner alone and being overweight. The height and weight of each participant were measured. Childhood overweight status was defined using the body mass index cutoff points proposed by the International Obesity Task Force.ResultsWhen compared with girls who did not eat dinner alone, a significantly increased odds ratio (OR) was observed among girls who ate dinner alone ≥1 time/week (adjusted OR = 2.78; 95% confidence interval = 1.21–6.38). In contrast, there was no statistically significant difference between eating dinner alone and being overweight among boys.ConclusionThe present study found that eating dinner alone is associated with being overweight among adolescent girls in this community in Japan. Therefore, reducing the frequency of eating dinner alone might contribute to decreasing the risk for becoming overweight or obese among adolescent girls.

Gender differences in dietary behaviors among Japanese adolescents

“…Regarding the frequency of family dinners, consistent with previous studies, we found that boys ate alone at dinner less often than girls ( Goldfield et al, 2011 , Shirasawa et al, 2018 ). One explanation for this is that boys often eat fast food after school and club activities; thus, they have fewer opportunities for family dinners.…”

Describing Independent Eating Occasions among Low-Income Adolescents

“…6 Missing data, n = 14 iEOs. 7 How much do you like each food/beverage? (1 = don't like at all, 5 = like a lot).…”

“…Survey data from a national sample of U.S. adolescents showed that junk food and sugary drink daily intake frequency was positively associated with often eating alone as well as having a BMI categorized as overweight or obese [5]. The odds ratio for being overweight was significantly increased among Japanese adolescent girls who reported eating dinner alone compared to girls who did not report eating dinner alone [7]. Children (7-10 years) were less likely to eat vegetables when eating alone compared to eating with parents [4].…”

“…For example, approximately one-fifth (21%) of adolescents in a U.S. national sample of web-based survey respondents agreed that they often eat alone [5]. Results from other studies indicated that dinner may be the least likely meal eaten alone based on surveys with 7th grade Canadian students [6] and Japanese adolescents [7] and on diaries of activities from 15:00 to 00:00 kept by U.S. middle school students [8].…”

Evening Meal Types and Family Meal Characteristics: Associations with Demographic Characteristics and Food Intake among Adolescents

“…Foods prepared away from home have been associated with poorer diet quality among adolescents and adults [19,20]. Family meal characteristics, such as eating meals alone or watching TV during meals have also been attributed to lower adolescent diet quality [21][22][23][24].…”