ISSN: 2375-4494

Journal of Child and Adolescent Behavior
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  • Research Article   
  • J Child Adolesc Behav 2017, Vol 5(6): 366
  • DOI: 10.4172/2375-4494.1000366

Association between Family Meals and the Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet in Spanish Adolescents

Andrew A Shalá1,2*, Gemma López-Guimera1,2, Jordi Fauquet1,3,4, Joaquim Puntí1,2, David Leiva5 and David Sánchez-Carracedo1,2
1Research Unit on Eating and Weight-related Behaviors, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, , Barcelona, Spain
2Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, , Barcelona, Spain
3Department of Psychobiology and Methodology of Health Sciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, , Barcelona, Spain
4Research Group in Neuroimage, Neurosciences Research Programme, IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute). Barcelona Biomedical Research Park, , Barcelona, Spain
5Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour (IR3C), Faculty of Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
*Corresponding Author : Andrew A Shalá, Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain, Tel: + 34 935813855, Email: andrewakbar.shala@e-campus.uab.cat

Received Date: Nov 06, 2017 / Accepted Date: Dec 24, 2017 / Published Date: Dec 30, 2017

Abstract

Introduction: Few studies have assessed the role of family meals in the Mediterranean diet (MD). Simultaneously, family meal frequency (FMF) has been associated with healthier lifestyles.
Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the association between FMF and MD adherence in Spanish adolescents.
Methods: A cross-sectional analysis with the baseline data of a multi-center (11 schools from the province of Barcelona) trial was performed. Socio-demographic and anthropometric data, as well as frequency of family breakfast, lunch and dinner were analyzed. MD adherence was assessed with the KIDMED questionnaire. The association between FMF and KIDMED was evaluated with a linear mixed effects regression model.
Results: Adolescents (n=1473) reported a weekly frequency of family breakfast, lunch and dinner of 2.1, 4.5 and 5.6 times, respectively. MD adherence was medium in 58.4% of the adolescents, low in 16.0% and high in 25.6%. As MD adherence increased, there was an increase in the proportion of males and of adolescents with universityeducated parents, as well as a higher frequency of the three family meals. The model showed that MD adherence was associated with parental education and with the frequency of family breakfast and dinner.
Conclusion: This is the first study to document the association between family meals and MD adherence. Family dinner and breakfast appear to be associated with MD adherence, and since breakfast shows low frequency it should be taken into account in the design of health interventions.

Keywords: Family meals; Mediterranean diet; KIDMED; Adherence; Spain

Citation: Shalá AA, López-Guimera G, Fauquet J, Puntí J, Leiva D, et al. (2017) Association between Family Meals and the Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet in Spanish Adolescents. J Child Adolesc Behav 5: 366. Doi: 10.4172/2375-4494.1000366

Copyright: © 2017 Shala AA, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

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