Is there something special about family meals? Exploring how family meal habits relate to young children’s diets

Children who eat a main meal at a regular time, rather
than snack throughout the day, have healthier diets.

Eating the same food as parents is linked to better
dietary quality in children. This may be because
‘child-friendly’ alternatives to adult food are likely to
be nutritionally inferior.

Eating at the same time as the rest of the family or
eating with parents, are not significantly associated
with diet.

Children who eat their meal in a living-room or
bedroom are more likely to have poor diets than
those who eat in the kitchen or a dining space.

In families where mothers describe mealtimes as
enjoyable or as opportunities to talk, children are less
likely to have poorer diets.

Higher maternal educational achievement is linked to
better diets in children. It is likely that some of the
eating habits which predict better diet simply reflect
the affluence and socio-economic background of
families.