The Cost of Skipping Family Meals: What You Need to Know
Family meals have been a staple of family life since the 18th century. During the Industrial Revolution, more people left the house to work during the day. The family would reunite at the end of the work day, share a meal, and discuss the day’s events. During World War II, wartime propaganda posters promoted family dinners as a sign of security and stability. Before the 18th century, families often ate separately in shifts at small tables set up outdoors or in hallways. As technology grows and increasingly encroaches on family life, many families have reverted to the old practice of eating separately. The once-important tradition of family dinners is becoming a dying trend, significantly impacting family dynamics as well as overall mental and physical health.
The Dying Trend of Shared Family Meals
Since the 18th century, life has grown increasingly hectic. In many households, both parents work outside the home, while children are often busy with various extracurricular activities. As families juggle these commitments, they frequently end up relying on fast food or other convenience meals. Finding time to prepare and enjoy meals together has become a luxury that many feel is nearly impossible.
When families do find time to enjoy a meal together technology often takes the place of meaningful interactions. It is estimated that almost 50% of Americans eat dinner in front of a TV while one in three can’t eat without being on their phone1. The introduction of TV dinners in 1953 sparked a popular trend of eating quick, non-nutritive meals on the couch while watching television. Since then, screen-time dinners have become the norm, leading to a decline in both mental and physical health, as well as a weakening of family bonds. Research shows that fewer family meals are linked to lower academic performance, reduced literacy, and increased risks of substance abuse, violence, and other behavioral issues.
Family Meals and Mental Health
Family dinners and shared meals have been widely studied worldwide, revealing a clear conclusion: the decline of regular family meals has contributed significantly to the deterioration of mental health.
A study involving 4,746 adolescents from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds found that those from families who rarely shared meals had higher rates of depression, suicidal thoughts, and suicide attempts2. Another study of 99,462 students between 6th and 12th grade found similar results3. Students who reported infrequent family meals reported higher levels of antisocial behaviors, depression, involvement in suicidal behaviors, and eating disorders, primarily binge eating and purging. Studies have shown that females, in particular, experience a sense of safety and security when sharing meals with their families. This communal dining experience contributes to their overall sense of security in the world and in themselves4.
Parents who reported frequently sharing meals had stronger family dynamics, healthier relationships, improved family functioning, and better mental health compared to families that did not regularly eat together5. Parents who included family meals in their weekly routine were also found to experience less depression and have higher self-esteem6.
Family Meals and Physical Health
Family meals play an equally important role in physical health. Studies have found that families that share meals are more likely to eat whole foods, such as meat, fruits, and vegetables, and significantly less processed and fast food. A 2005-2006 study of 3,233 participants found a strong correlation between the frequency of family dinners and several positive outcomes. Higher family dinner frequency was associated with lower consumption of soft drinks, healthier body weights, and increased confidence and knowledge about healthy eating, both at home and while socializing with friends.
Research has shown that regularly sharing meals during childhood is strongly linked to a significantly lower risk of obesity and Type 2 diabetes during adolescence and into adulthood7. This association is due to the fact that an increase in family meals has been linked to a 52.6% reduction in the consumption of pre-packaged foods, sugary drinks, and fast food8. Science has found that families who cook and eat together have significantly better health than those who do not.
Family Meals and Academic Performance
Academic performance in families that share frequent meals has resulted in mixed outcomes. Research suggests that children who grow up sharing meals with families have better cognitive development leading to higher grade point averages9. Shared meals offer adolescents a valuable opportunity to engage in conversations with both adults and peers. This interaction helps them learn essential social skills, enhance their communication abilities, and develop the capacity to initiate and sustain conversations.
A study of almost 5,000 school-age kids found that increased frequency of shared meals resulted in better grades and the desire to do better academically. Engaging in regular conversations with family members during meals helps improve vocabulary10, build skills in storytelling and word comprehension, and expand general knowledge and life skills.
Family Meals and Substance Abuse
Frequent family meals play a role in all aspects of health including addiction, substance abuse, and behavioral issues. One study11 analyzed how infrequent family meals impact each gender. For females, fewer shared meals were associated with higher rates of substance abuse and running away from home. Males in households with limited family meals were more likely to engage in physical violence, vandalism, theft, drinking, and running away.
A five-year study followed 806 school-aged children, tracking the frequency of family meals and various behavioral traits. Even after accounting for demographic, family, and parental characteristics, as well as socioeconomic status and prior substance use, the study found that participants who regularly shared family meals had significantly lower odds of smoking, alcohol use, and marijuana use12.
Another study of 5,511 adolescents ages 11-18 found that children in homes where meals were shared daily had a 95% less chance of initiating alcohol intake among peers and binge drinking13. Shared family meals are believed to have a protective effect on children, fostering resilience, confidence, and boosting self-esteem. This support helps children better process challenging life events and navigate peer pressure more effectively.
The Cost of Skipping Family Meals
Eating together is a highly underrated family activity. Health activists and scientists are currently pushing for family dinner frequency to become a matter of public health. Urging doctors, mental health professionals, and teachers to focus on shared family meals as it pertains to all aspects of health and mental well-being. Public health activists are also pushing intervention programs to increase the availability and affordability of whole foods that can be used to aid in promoting more frequent family meals.
Turning off technology to spend uninterrupted time together is essential for strengthening family bonds. As families gather around the table for a meal, they naturally start sharing stories from their day, opening up to one another. During these shared dinners, family members make eye contact, share laughter, and express empathy for each other’s challenges. These moments foster a sense of connection, support, safety, understanding, and community.
Today, however, family unity is increasingly fragile, with families facing more challenges to staying connected. Research suggests that the decline in routine family mealtime may be both a cause and a solution to the fragmentation of family culture.
For more help making shared family meals a staple in your home, check out our family meal articles. We’ll guide you through meal prep and offer simple, healthy alternatives to popular processed foods.
Supporting Research
- Rose, L. (2018, January 24). 1 in 3 Americans can’t eat a meal without being on their phone. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/food/sns-dailymeal-1867994-eat-americans-cant-eat-without-being-on-their-phones-20180124-story.html ↩︎
- Eisenberg ME, Olson RE, Neumark-Sztainer D, Story M, Bearinger LH. Correlations between family meals and psychosocial well-being among adolescents. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2004 Aug;158(8):792-6. doi: 10.1001/archpedi.158.8.792. PMID: 15289253. ↩︎
- Fulkerson JA, Story M, Mellin A, Leffert N, Neumark-Sztainer D, French SA. Family dinner meal frequency and adolescent development: relationships with developmental assets and high-risk behaviors. J Adolesc Health. 2006 Sep;39(3):337-45. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2005.12.026. Epub 2006 Jul 10. PMID: 16919794. ↩︎
- Nutrition & Delicious: Meal Prep Ideas The Whole Family Will Love. Human Health Co. (2024a, September 26). https://humanhealthco.com/nutrition-delicious-meal-prep-ideas-the-whole-family-will-love/ ↩︎
- Utter J, Larson N, Berge JM, Eisenberg ME, Fulkerson JA, Neumark-Sztainer D. Family meals among parents: Associations with nutritional, social and emotional wellbeing. Prev Med. 2018 Aug;113:7-12. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2018.05.006. Epub 2018 May 7. PMID: 29746973; PMCID: PMC6309329. ↩︎
- Berge JM, Miller J, Watts A, Larson N, Loth KA, Neumark-Sztainer D. Intergenerational transmission of family meal patterns from adolescence to parenthood: longitudinal associations with parents’ dietary intake, weight-related behaviours and psychosocial well-being. Public Health Nutr 2018;21(2):299–308. ↩︎
- Mahmood L, González-Gil EM, Schwarz P, Herrmann S, Karaglani E, Cardon G, De Vylder F, Willems R, Makrilakis K, Liatis S, Iotova V, Tsochev K, Tankova T, Rurik I, Radó S, Moreno LA, Manios Y; Feel4Diabetes-Study Group. Frequency of family meals and food consumption in families at high risk of type 2 diabetes: the Feel4Diabetes-study. Eur J Pediatr. 2022 Jun;181(6):2523-2534. doi: 10.1007/s00431-022-04445-4. Epub 2022 Mar 30. PMID: 35353229; PMCID: PMC9110493. ↩︎
- Ruhee D, Mahomoodally F. Relationship between family meal frequency and individual dietary intake among diabetic patients. J Diabetes Metab Disord. 2015 Aug 8;14:66. doi: 10.1186/s40200-015-0187-5. PMID: 26258111; PMCID: PMC4529702. ↩︎
- Martin-Biggers, J., Spaccarotella, K., Berhaupt-Glickstein, A., Hongu, N., Worobey, J., & Byrd-Bredbenner, C. (2014, May 6). Come and get it! A discussion of family mealtime literature and Factors Affecting Obesity Risk. Science Direct Advances in Nutrition. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2161831322011966 ↩︎
- Snow, C. E., & Beals, D. E. (2006). Mealtime talk that supports literacy development. New directions for child and adolescent development, 2006(111), 51-66. ↩︎
- Sen B. The relationship between frequency of family dinner and adolescent problem behaviors after adjusting for other family characteristics. J Adolesc. 2010 Feb;33(1):187-96. doi: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2009.03.011. Epub 2009 May 23. PMID: 19476994. ↩︎
- Eisenberg ME, Neumark-Sztainer D, Fulkerson JA, Story M. Family meals and substance use: is there a long-term protective association? J Adolesc Health. 2008 Aug;43(2):151-6. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2008.01.019. Epub 2008 Apr 11. PMID: 18639788. ↩︎
- Fisher LB, Miles IW, Austin SB, Camargo CA Jr, Colditz GA. Predictors of initiation of alcohol use among US adolescents: findings from a prospective cohort study. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2007 Oct;161(10):959-66. doi: 10.1001/archpedi.161.10.959. PMID: 17909139. ↩︎
