1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«This study examines the prospective influence of the environmental quality of the typical family meal at age 6 on later child well-being at age 10 […].» (p. 137)

Questions/Hypothèses :
The authors «expect that better family meal environment quality will be associated with more optimal healthy lifestyle habits, school achievement, and social adjustment.» (p. 137)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
L’échantillon est composé de 1492 enfants provenant de l’Étude longitudinale du développement des enfants du Québec (ELDEQ). Les auteurs ont utilisé des informations rapportées par les parents lorsque ces enfants étaient âgés de 6 ans, puis des informations révélées par les enseignants, les parents et les enfants eux-mêmes lorsque les participants étaient âgés de 10 ans.

Instruments :
Questionnaires

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

The results show «consistent associations between the typical quality of family meal environment at age 6 and later indicators of healthy lifestyle habits at age 10 […].» (p. 139) «Increases in family meal environment quality predicted increases in subsequent levels of general physical fitness. It is plausible that families with more positive meal time interactions have parents who offer more routine and consistency to their children.» (p. 140-141) However, the authors «found that early family meal environment quality did not predict subsequent success in reading and mathematics.» (p. 141) Also, «children who experienced higher levels of family meal environment quality were less likely to later self-report stealing things in or outside the home, engaging in vandalism, or telling lies. […] It might be that the ritual aspects of family meals contribute to greater time spent together, an increased sense of belongingness, and regular opportunities for communication. Positive family meal experiences might encourage children to talk about their issues within their families, which, in turn, could decrease the odds of social impairment.» (p. 141) Overall, these «findings suggest that family meals are not solely markers of home environment quality but are also easy targets for parent education about improving children’s well-being.» (p. 142)