HHS HealthBeat (January 21, 2008)

Family meals and teenage girls

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

It’s not easy for the whole family to have regular meals together. But family meals seem to set a healthy pattern.

Dianne Neumark-Sztainer of the University of Minnesota checked data from surveys of Minnesota teens to see what could reduce the risks that teens would use extreme weight-control methods like diet pills or self-induced vomiting.

She says five family meals a week made a difference:

``Adolescent girls who ate more regular meals with their families five years later were decreased risk for extreme weight-control behaviors.’’ (8 seconds)

Neumark-Sztainer notes it’s not always easy to eat together. She recommends being flexible..

The study in Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine was supported by HHS’ Health Resources and Services Administration.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: January, 21 2008