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INTRODUCTION: Children who frequently eat family meals are less likely to develop risk- and behavior-related outcomes, such as substance misuse, sexual risk, and obesity. Few studies have examined sociodemographic characteristics associated with both meal frequency (i.e., number of meals) and duration (i.e., number of minutes spent at mealtimes). METHODS: We examine the association between sociodemographics and family meal frequency and duration among a sample of 85 parents in a large New England city that was recruited through the public-school system. Additionally, we examined differences in family meals by race/ethnicity and parental nativity. Unadjusted ANOVA and adjusted ANCOVA models were used to assess the associations between sociodemographic characteristics and frequency and duration of meals. RESULTS: Sociodemographic characteristics were not significantly associated with the frequency of family meals; however, in the adjusted models, differences were associated with duration of meals. Parents who were born outside the U.S. spent an average of 135.0 min eating meals per day with their children compared to 76.2 for parents who were born in the U.S. (p < 0.01). Additionally, parents who reported being single, divorced, or separated on average, spent significantly more time per day eating family meals (126.7 min) compared to parents who reported being married or partnered (84.4; p = 0.02). Differences existed in meal duration by parental nativity and race/ethnicity, ranging from 63.7 min among multi-racial/other parents born in the U.S. to 182.8 min among black parents born outside the U.S. DISCUSSION: This study builds a foundation for focused research into the mechanisms of family meals. Future longitudinal epidemiologic research on family meals may help to delineate targets for prevention of maladaptive behaviors, which could affect family-based practices, interventions, and policies.
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Differences in health outcomes on the basis of racial and/or ethnic group membership have been documented among Hispanics in the US. As this heterogeneous population continues to grow, so does the importance of understanding the subgroups within it and the possible effect that between-group variations may have on health outcomes. This article highlights a major limitation of the existing research: that the Hispanic population is almost exclusively lumped into one pan-ethnic category when examining substance use behaviors. However, there is evidence to suggest that differences in substance use behaviors exist between Hispanic subgroups, which may be important when designing prevention and intervention programs. While the majority of research in this arena has focused on adults, more research is required to understand subgroup differences in substance use behaviors among Hispanic youth. This article provides a synopsis of the research on U.S. Hispanic substance use behaviors, including how factors such as acculturation, nativity, and culture of origin can act as risk and protective factors. However, there is an insufficient amount of research looking at how the differences between Hispanic subgroups may interact with acculturation levels to increase or decrease risk factors associated with substance use. Therefore, the authors suggest that substance use researchers attempt to improve future study designs by asking standardized demographic questions of national origin and/or ethnic/subgroup identity and take this into account in their analyses. The collection of such specific data could then be used to develop more targeted prevention and intervention programs.