Abstract
Objective
To investigate the association of adolescent self-report of family mealtime communication
on obesity-related behaviors in single- and dual-parent households and by sex in a
sample of overweight and obese Hispanic adolescents.
Design
Cross-sectional analysis of a randomized control trial
Setting
Eighteen middle schools in Miami-Dade County, Florida.
Participants
Two-hundred and eighty Hispanic seventh- and eighth-grade students
Main Outcome Measures
Physical activity, fruit and vegetable intake, and added sugar intake.
Analysis
Structural equation modeling.
Results
The findings indicate that mealtime communication was associated with fruit and vegetable
consumption in boys (β = .30; P = .001; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.52–2.68) and physical activity in girls (β = .26; P = .010; 95% CI, 0.16–1.30). Moreover, a single-parent household was associated with
dietary consumption in boys (fruit and vegetable intake [β= .18; P = .039; 95% CI, 0.02–2.60] but had a moderating effect on fruit and vegetable consumption
in girls (β = .21; P = .015; 95% CI, 0.14–2.19).
Conclusions and Implications
Family mealtime communication may impact dietary and physical activity outcomes in
Hispanic adolescents with overweight and obesity, but differentially across gender
and household parent makeup. These findings, together with the prevalence of single
parents, point to the importance of targeting Hispanic single parents as agents of
change to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors in their children via positive mealtime
interactions.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: June 25, 2020
Accepted:
March 8,
2020
Footnotes
Conflict of Interest Disclosure: The authors have not stated any conflicts of interest.
Identification
Copyright
© 2020 Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior.
