1. Family Meals spell S – U – C – C – E – S - S

2. What does “family meal” mean to you? Is it individually grazing in the kitchen? Dining from the dashboard of a car?

4. Is there time for meals?

5. Are family meals important? How frequent does your family have a meal?

6. 2005 CASA National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse X: Teens and Parents http://www.casacolumbia.org % Teens Having Family Dinners 7X/Week

7. What happened to the family meal?  Conflicting schedules  Both parents working  Long work hours  Split shifts  Meetings  Sports practices  Music lessons  ↓ Cooking skills

8. How we eat today...

10. How about YOU? Reflect on your own experiences with family mealtime...  Share your best memories of family meals growing up  Would someone like to describe your “family meals” ?

11. S = Smarter Children ↑ language acquisition (C. Snow, Harvard Grad School of Education) ↑ vocabulary = better readers and students 5 or more family dinners per week likelier to receive either all A’s or mostly A’s and B’s

12. 2005 CASA National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse X: Teens and Parents http://www.casacolumbia.org % Teens Who Get A’s/B’s in School by Frequency of Family Dinners

13. Academic Performance  Teens who have frequent family dinners are likelier to get better grades in school and higher academic performance is associated with lower substance abuse risk.

14. Jeopardy’s Million Dollar Man – Ken Jennings

15. Dinner Conversation Topics  Friends and Social Activities  Current Events  Family Issues  Religion  Curfew  Peer pressure  Substance abuse

16. U = Unlikely to smoke… http://www.casafamilyday.org

17. 5 or more family dinners verses 2 or less are:  Three times likelier to try marijuana  Two and a half times likelier to smoke cigarettes daily  More than 2x times likelier to drink alcohol or get drunk weekly

18. 5 or more dinners verses 2 or less:  3 Times likelier to report that half or more of their friends use marijuana  Twice as likely to know a friend or classmate who uses Ecstasy  80% likelier to know a friend or classmate who abuses prescription drugs  40% likelier to know a friend who uses acid cocaine or heroin

19. 2005 CASA National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse X: Teens and Parents http://www.casacolumbia.org Family Dinners and Teen Substance-Abuse Risk

20. C = Courteous and Conversational  Children who have meals together have an easier time being courteous and making polite conversation.

21.  Makes family relationships stronger. C = Connected to Family

22. Family Relationships  Parents are proud of teens  Low levels of tension and stress  Confide in parents

23. What’s going on at the table? Less than 3x vs. 5-7x weekly  32% likelier to dine with TV on  150% say there is not much talking  2x as likely to say that dinners don’t last long enough.

24. E = Eating Better ↑ fruits and vegetables ↑ grains ↑ calcium-rich foods ↑ protein ↑ iron ↑ fiber ↑ vitamins ↓ soft drinks Neumark-Sztainer, JADA (103), 2003

26. Family Meals: Could they help prevent overweight?  Consistent mealtimes → food security  ↑ nutrient-dense foods, ↓ nutrient-poor foods  Parents role model healthy eating at meals  Prevent “disengaged” eating and promote “focused” eating, respond to hunger/satiety  Promote sense of belonging

29. TV and Family Meals: Kaiser Family Foundation 1999 (1090 2-7 yrs old; 2065 8-18 yrs old) Is TV usually on during meals in your home? (% yes) Total sample58% 2-7 yrs47% 8-18 yrs65% www.kff.org/content/archive/1477/vchip_s.pdf

30. Strategies for family meals: Make a priority

31. Strategies for family meals: Plan ahead

32. Strategies for family meals: Create positive atmosphere

33. Family Meals: Impossible Dream or Realistic Goal?

34. 2005 CASA National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse X: Teens and Parents http://www.casacolumbia.org Family Dinners, 1998-2005

35. Other Benefits  Less Fights  Less Suspensions  Less Premarital Sex  Lower risk for Suicide  Healthier Food Balanced Meals

36. Family Mealtime Make it happen!

37. Family Meals spell S – U – C – C – E – S - S

38. This presentation on Family Mealtime was made possible by the Purdue University Center for Families’ Promoting Family Meals Project. For more information go to: www.cfs.purdue.edu/CFF/promotingfamilymeals