ABSTRACT
Purpose: To explore the associations between family meal context and overall diet quality of Canadian preschool-aged children. Methods: Cross-sectional analysis of 95 preschool-aged children from 72 families. Measures about health behaviours and the family meal environment were drawn from selected questionnaire items. Three-day food records for children were assessed using the Healthy Eating Index 2010 (HEI-2010). Linear regression was used to explore the associations between the family meal variables and children's HEI-2010 scores. Results: In analyses adjusted for child age, sex, and household income, child involvement in meal preparation (ß = 4.34; 95% CI: 0.56-8.12) and time spent preparing the evening meal (ß = 3.77; 95% CI: 0.42-7.12) were associated with higher HEI-2010 scores. Serving fast food (ß = -2.90; 95% CI: -4.79 to -1.02) and using screen-based devices during meals (ß = -3.80; 95% CI: -7.38 to -0.21) were associated with lower HEI-2010 scores. Family meal frequency and serving prepared foods, sugar-sweetened beverages, and vegetables at meals were not significantly associated with preschoolers' diet quality. Conclusions: The context in which family meals take place influences child diet quality. Taking the time to include children in family meal preparation may benefit children's dietary intake.
