Authoritative Parents Guide Kids to Better Nutrition

Sitting down to family meals has a positive impact on adolescents’ attitudes toward healthy eating habits, according to a new study from the University of Minnesota that studied the association between parenting style and frequency of family meals.

The findings, published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, revealed that authoritative parents—those who were empathic and respectful, but who maintained clear boundaries and expectations—heavily influenced family eating behavior and better nutrition in adolescents.

Researchers used survey data from Project EAT (Eating Among Teens), in which two groups of adolescents (1608 middle school and 3074 high school students) completed surveys in 1999 and 2004 regarding eating habits, parental styles, and various socioeconomic variables. Cross-sectional results for adolescent girls indicated a positive association between maternal and paternal authoritative parenting style and frequency of family meals. For adolescent boys, maternal authoritative parenting style was associated with more frequent family meals. Longitudinal results indicated that authoritative parenting style predicted higher frequency of family meals five years later, but only between mothers and sons or between fathers and daughters.

“Although further research is needed, results suggest that it is important for dietitians and other healthcare providers to reinforce authoritative parenting styles in order to increase the likelihood of occurrence of family meals,” said lead investigator Jerica M. Berge, PhD, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Minnesota Medical School. “Health providers can play an important role in reinforcing the benefits of authoritative parenting style, helping parents set realistic goals for family meals, exploring ways to enhance parenting skills during family meals, discussing strategies to help parents be more authoritative, and making referrals for parents who are in need of further parenting skills training.”

Sources:

* Journal of the American Dietetic Association: Authoritative Parenting Style Influences Family Eating Behavior and Better Nutrition in Adolescents