Family Meals Without TV Watching Are Linked To Lower Obesity Rates

A U.S. study of data collected in phone surveys of nearly 13,000 Ohioans – a third of whom were obese – found that those who ate home-cooked family meals, regardless of how often, were less likely to be obese. More than half said they eat family meals on most days, 35 percent on some days, and 13 percent on few days per week. A third watched TV or videos most of the time during family meals; 36 percent said they never did. Especially important was what the families were doing during their dinnertimes. The odds of obesity were much lower among adults who never watched TV or videos during family meals, and who prepared their own dinners, at least a couple of times a week. [ Image credit: © USDA  ]