TY - JOUR
T1 - Family Meals and Substance Use
T2 - Is There a Long-Term Protective Association?
AU - Eisenberg, Marla E.
AU - Neumark-Sztainer, Dianne
AU - Fulkerson, Jayne A.
AU - Story, Mary
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2008 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2008/8
Y1 - 2008/8
N2 - Purpose: To examine 5-year longitudinal associations between family meal patterns and subsequent substance use in adolescents. Methods: A total of 806 Minnesota adolescents were surveyed in public schools in 1998-1999 (mean age, 12.8 years) and again by mail in 2003-2004 (mean age, 17.2 years) as part of a longitudinal population-based study. Logistic regression was used to estimate the odds of tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use at follow-up for adolescents reporting regular family meals at baseline compared with those without regular family meals, adjusting for family connectedness and prior substance use. Results: Family meal frequency at baseline was associated with significantly lower odds of cigarette smoking, alcohol use, and marijuana use at follow-up among female adolescents, even after adjusting for baseline substance use and additional covariates. Family meals were not associated with use of any substance at follow-up for male adolescents after adjusting for baseline use. Conclusions: Results from this study suggest that regular family meals in adolescence may have a long-term protective association with the development of substance use over 5 years among females. Parents should be encouraged to establish a pattern of regular family meals, as this activity may have long lasting benefits.
AB - Purpose: To examine 5-year longitudinal associations between family meal patterns and subsequent substance use in adolescents. Methods: A total of 806 Minnesota adolescents were surveyed in public schools in 1998-1999 (mean age, 12.8 years) and again by mail in 2003-2004 (mean age, 17.2 years) as part of a longitudinal population-based study. Logistic regression was used to estimate the odds of tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use at follow-up for adolescents reporting regular family meals at baseline compared with those without regular family meals, adjusting for family connectedness and prior substance use. Results: Family meal frequency at baseline was associated with significantly lower odds of cigarette smoking, alcohol use, and marijuana use at follow-up among female adolescents, even after adjusting for baseline substance use and additional covariates. Family meals were not associated with use of any substance at follow-up for male adolescents after adjusting for baseline use. Conclusions: Results from this study suggest that regular family meals in adolescence may have a long-term protective association with the development of substance use over 5 years among females. Parents should be encouraged to establish a pattern of regular family meals, as this activity may have long lasting benefits.
KW - Adolescence
KW - Family meals
KW - substance use
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U2 - 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2008.01.019
DO - 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2008.01.019
M3 - Article
C2 - 18639788
AN - SCOPUS:47049121998
SN - 1054-139X
VL - 43
SP - 151
EP - 156
JO - Journal of Adolescent Health
JF - Journal of Adolescent Health
IS - 2
ER -