Pubdate: Mon, 23 Jun 2008
Source: Victoria Times-Colonist (CN BC)
Copyright: 2008 Times Colonist
Contact: http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/letters.html
Website: http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/481
Author: Shannon Proudfoot, Canwest News Service

FAMILY MEALS HAVE BONUS FOR TEENAGERS

For Girls, Substance Abuse Less Likely; For Boys, Get-Togethers Have No Effect

Adolescent girls who sit down for frequent meals with their families 
are half as likely to smoke, drink and use marijuana as those who 
share family meals less often, according to a new study.

"Part of it is just parents being more in touch with their kids, 
being able to see earlier on if their kids are veering down a path 
that might not be filled with healthy choices," says Marla Eisenberg, 
lead author of the paper and a professor of pediatrics in the 
University of Minnesota's medical school.

Family meals may also offer protection simply because they increase 
the amount of time teens spend at home instead of out with their 
friends, she says -- the environment where they are most likely to 
experiment with cigarettes, drugs and alcohol.

Interestingly, teen boys do not enjoy the same benefit, with frequent 
family meals having no bearing on their substance use down the road.

"It's really not as clear for boys, we've had a hard time pinning 
down what's going on with boys," says Eisenberg.

She speculates the difference may be due to the distinct ways in 
which they engage with their families, with girls tending to be 
emotionally closer to their parents and better equipped to pick up on 
"emotional cues" of support.

The data came from about 800 students who were surveyed when aged 10 
to 13 and again five years later. The authors defined "frequent" 
family meals as happening five times a week or more, with about 60 
per cent of the adolescents falling into that group at the start.

"That could certainly be Sunday brunch, it could be breakfast 
everyday before school," Eisenberg says. "We have no reason to 
believe that this is isolated to dinner. Even increasing the weekly 
number of meals by one or two has some additional benefit."
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart