The Perceptions and Attitudes of Elementary School Children Towards Family Meals

ABSTRACT

The objective of this study was to determine the overall conditions related to family meals-including perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors-among elementary school children. The data were collected from 464 male and female students attending elementary schools in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do in December 2006 to February 2007, using self-administered questionnaires. The results were as follows 77.7% of the students regarded family meals as meals eaten with all family members living together in a household. With regard to the frequency of family meals, 40.9% of the students reported that they ate with their family 'more than once per day'. 74.7% of the students reported that they enjoyed family meals because mealtime is a time to talk with other family members. When the degree of satisfaction with life was evaluated using a Likert scale (strongly satisfied-5 points, strongly unsatisfied-1 point), the results showed a significantly higher level of satisfaction with their daily lives, health, nutritious conditions, and family care. Students had more positive psychological feelings as the frequency of family meals increases. Likewise, the groups who frequently ate family meals scored higher in positive attitudes and behaviors toward family meals, thereby implying that the consumption of family meals is associated with the promotion of familial relationships, psychological stability, and positive thinking in children. These findings indicate that attention should be directed toward increasing the frequency of family meals and creating a positive family meal environment.