The article highlights the significant physical, mental, and emotional benefits of regular family dinners, as supported by research from The Family Dinner Project and JAMA Pediatrics.

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Recently, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Pediatrics (JAMA Pediatr. 2024,178,5:510) published a paper titled “Eating family meals together at home.” The researchers Callie L. Brown, and Melissa C. Kay from Wake Forest School of Medicine and Lindsay A. Thompson, from Duke University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina asserted that the practice is important for both parents and children.

According to them, "Eating dinner together at least three or four times a week has positive effects on child development."

The Family Dinner Project (FDP), based in Boston at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Psychiatry is a well-coordinated effort, a nonprofit initiative started in 2010, and “champions family dinner as an opportunity for family members to connect through food, fun and conversation about things that matter.”

The enthusiastic members who joined FDP came from different professional backgrounds: education, research, family therapy, food, social work, marketing and communication.

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The JAMA paper

We need not accept the views of the researchers blindly given their qualifications, domain knowledge and practical experience. They have briefly, elegantly and comprehensively summarised the three-decade-long “The Family Dinner Project” results.

A booklet published by (THE FAMILY DINNER PROJECT.ORG) on behalf of the project confidently asserted that their “belief in the “magic” of family dinners is grounded in research on the physical, mental and emotional benefits of regular family meals.”

“Over three decades of research have shown that regular family meals offer various physical, social-emotional and academic benefits. While some of these benefits can be gained through other activities, eating together is the only single activity known to provide all of them simultaneously.” " the booklet asserted.

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Benefits of family dinners

The booklet lists 11 specific benefits of family dinners. The JAMA paper picked up some of them (maybe, they thought they have an overall impact on society)

• Family dinners at home are linked to
• Lower rates of obesity, overweight and eating disorders
• Reduced incidence of depression, teen pregnancy, and substance misuse
• Higher self-esteem and better academic performance
• Better nutrition and knowledge about a variety of healthy foods

We may argue that such projects will succeed only if the parents are highly motivated and adequately knowledgeable. Unfortunately, this is seldom the case. Even educated parents get carried away by strongly persuasive advertisements.

Many parents think that nutrients from dietary supplements can compensate for the lack of fruits and vegetables in any meal! However, what FDP has achieved with a large number of families in a coordinated effort may be taken as a model which individual families can emulate.

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Is the nutritional health of children and adolescents affected by the frequency of shared family meals?

Yes, there is scientifically defendable evidence that it is true: it is supported by a meta-analysis of 17 studies of 1,82,836 children and adolescents (mean sample age: 2.8–17.3 years).

Researchers, Amber J. Hammons, PhD and Barbara H. Fiese, PhD, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois carried out the study.( Pediatrics 127(6): e1565–e1574. June n 2011)

The importance of the study

1. Even minor reductions in the number of people suffering from obesity, overweight and eating disorders may be important and beneficial at least for those subjects who suffer from them silently.
2. Effective implementation of the Family Dinner Project at the village level in various countries will prevent or reduce many adverse health effects.
3. Maybe, the project needs some tweaking as per local requirements. One may realise the importance of the project when one finds conspicuous improvement in the behaviour patterns of the participants including children because of the camaraderie, cooperation and joyful experience shared by all of them.
4. To appreciate what FDP achieved collectively we must know how widely prevalent and severe are the adverse health effects which the project helps to lower.

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Prevalence of obesity in India?

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First-hand experience

I was not surprised. While visiting a few schools in Mumbai in 2012 seeking admission for my two grandchildren (Their parents were relocating from the USA), I saw that about one in ten children were visibly obese and overweight.

Teachers knew this issue and were taking care of it partly at least in their meal plans. Irresistible advertisements of “two minutes” noodles and sweetened and flavoured juices ruled the day against any sensible eating/drinking!

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Can we ignore the elephant in the room?

Uncontrolled sugar intake

1. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in its latest guidelines advise limiting added sugar to 25 g per day or even eliminating it from the diet as it adds no nutritive value to the food other than calories. The normal intake is higher.
2. For children aged 2 to 19 years, the dietary guidelines for Americans for 2020-2025 prescribe 12 teaspoons (50g) of added sugar from both food and beverages.
3. For kids and young adults (2–19 years old), the average daily consumption of added sugars was already 17 teaspoons in 2017–2018. Excess sugar intake at this age can have a profound adverse impact.
4. As a first step, parents should read the labels on packed foodstuffs to estimate the amount of sugar their children consume daily.
5. Family dinners taken together at home will help in reducing excess sugar intake. FDP’s constant advocacy of what is good will inspire the participants. They will not ignore this elephant (excess sugar intake) in the room.

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Drug abuse by children, smoking

In a comprehensive national survey conducted in 36 states and union territories in India in collaboration with 10 medical institutes and 15 NGOs, the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre found that around 15.8 million kids aged between 10 and 17 years are addicted to substances in India.

The WHO cited India's Global Youth Tobacco Survey 2019 on May 31, 2024 (World Tobacco Day), which revealed that 8.4% of school-age youngsters between the ages of 13 and 15 reported using tobacco.

“Disconcertingly, the survey findings show that even before celebrating their seventh birthday, 11.4% of children start smoking cigarettes, 17.2% starting smoking bidi and 24% start using smokeless tobacco products like gutkha, khaini, zarda.”, the agency warned.

The quality time the parents spend with their wards every day while eating family dinner together will lead to constant interaction between them. The participants get the benefit of reading thought-provoking and informative blogs from experts, some of them are also active participants in FDP.

For instance, the blogs by Anne Fishel, PhD, Executive Director, and co-founder of The Family Dinner Project (TFDP) have a personal touch and are of inestimable value. She is a family therapist and a clinical psychologist

This project reminded me of my childhood days in a village with a population of a few hundred in the southwest corner of India. The practice of eating family meals together, recommended by the authors of the JAMA paper, was widely prevalent then. It evolved quite naturally, particularly in agrarian societies. There is nothing special about it and may be happening in many villages.

Disclaimer- The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of M3 India.

About the author of this article: Dr K S Parthasarathy is a former Secretary of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and is a medical physicist with a specialisation in radiation safety and regulatory matters.