Presented by Sydney Massey, MPH, R.D. B.C. Dairy Foundation

Frequency of family meals in OECD Percentage of 15 year-olds who say they eat family meals several times a week: Mean79.4%(25 countries) Italy93.8%(1st out of 25) Iceland90.8%(2nd out of 25) France90.4%(3rd out of 25) Canada71.8%(18th out of 25) US65.7%(23rd out of 25) UNICEF, Innocenti Report Card 7, 2007.

Are family dinners disappearing? Family meals are not extinct BUT 1/4 to 1/3 never or seldom eat together as a family 14% NEVER eat a family meal Family meals decrease as children get older Neumark-Sztainer et al. JADA 2003; 103: Woodruff Atkinson SJ. Waterloo ON, 2007.

Benefit #1: Better nutrition

Better food choices - increased intake of fruits, vegetables, calcium rich foods - decreased intake of pop, fat - more fiber, calcium, folate, iron, vitamins B6, B12, C and E May be associated with less obesity, overweight May be associated with lower rates of eating disorders

Benefit #2: Better adjustment Teens who eat with family5x/week≤4x/week Cigarette smoking25%34% Use or tried cannabis 12%20% Serious fights< 30%40% Sexual activity by age 1632%>50% Suicide attemptstwice as many White House Conference on Teenagers, 2000

Family Day 4th Monday in September

“We are relinquishing the social dimension of eating.” Enrique Jacoby, Pan American Health Organization Nighthawks by Edward Hopper

Benefit #3: Better school performance National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, Sept % of teens who eat family meals 5+ times a week - get all A’s or mostly A’s and B’s 49% of teens who have less frequent family meals can report the same

Family-style meals are important Family-style meals benefit older adults in residential settings Congregate meals benefit older adults living in the community Nijs KA et al. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci, 2006; Nijs KA et al. BMJ US Dept. of Health and Human Services. National Evaluation of the Elderly Nutrition Program,

Family meals are important 80% rank eating dinner together with children as one of the most important activities they do with children or as very important Mellman and Lazarus Inc. Family values survey. Roper Center at University of Connecticut. Public Opinion Online, 1991.

Family meals are important Canadians say mealtime is the favourite time of day for family members to interact and talk about their day Turcotte M. Statistics Canada catalogue no , Canadian Social Trends, 2007

Is this a family meal?

What does eating together mean? Does everyone have to be eating the same thing? Does the food have to be prepared at home? Does the meal have to be at home?

Obstacles to eating together Too busy Parents’ work schedule Kids’ sport and activity schedules Parents’ schedules for meetings, exercise No time to shop or cook Don’t know how to cook Family doesn’t like the same foods Healthy food takes longer to prepare and can create hostile reactions Shared meals are unpleasant, so avoided Eating together is idealized, so unattainable

Research underlying motivations in-depth interviews follow-up focus groups

© BC Dairy Foundation and Concerto Marketing Group, 2009

Clear directions Guilt paralyzes. Focusing on phrases like ‘eating together’ or ‘family meals’ provokes guilt Need to encourage families to ‘re- create’ together in the kitchen. Children may be better custodians of the family meal. Take baby steps. Make pizza on Friday night. Mix together a ‘random salad’.

By helping families re-create together in the kitchen, we’ll reconnect food and fun.

Better Together Hub for resources, tools stories and background information

How can you encourage people to eat together?