The Relationship between Family Meals and Mental Health Problems in Japanese Elementary School Children: A Cross-Sectional Study

• Published in: International journal of environmental research and public health Vol. 18; no. 17; p. 9281
• Main Authors: Kameyama, Noriko, Morimoto, Yukina, Hashimoto, Ayako, Inoue, Hiroko, Nagaya, Ikuko, Nakamura, Kozue, Kuwano, Toshiko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 02.09.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Adults; Child & adolescent mental health; Children; Children & youth; Confidence intervals; Cross-sectional studies; Diet; Eating; Eating behavior; Families & family life; Health problems; Holidays & special occasions; Meals; Mental disorders; Mental health; Questionnaires; Regression analysis; Statistical analysis; Teenagers
• ISSN: 1660-4601; 1661-7827; 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18179281

The relative burden of mental health problems in children is increasing worldwide. Family meals have attracted attention as an effective modifiable factor for preventing children’s mental health problems. We examined the relationship between family meals and mental health problems in Japanese elementary schoolchildren. A cross-sectional, self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted with guardians of children aged 7 to 12 years in Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Frequency of family meals and with whom the child eats breakfast, lunch, and dinner were assessed separately for weekdays and weekends/holidays. Mental health was assessed using the Japanese version of the parent-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Multivariate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for borderline/abnormal mental health status were calculated using logistic regression analysis. Of the 678 children, 24.9% had borderline/abnormal mental health status. Children eating breakfast with their family less than once a week (adjusted OR, 4.79; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.51–15.25) and those eating weekend breakfast alone (adjusted OR, 3.61; 95% CI, 1.42–9.23) had a higher prevalence of borderline/abnormal mental health status compared to those eating breakfast seven times a week and weekend breakfast with their family, respectively. These results suggest that family meals, especially breakfast, might be positively associated with better mental health in children.