A study of 2,500 teenagers has discovered that having regular family meals may help girls from using extreme weight control methods, but the effect did not hold for boys.

Researchers from the University of Minnesota surveyed the teens when they were 12 or 13 years old, and then again five years later. Both surveys included questions about eating habits and family.

Overall, about 26 percent of girls and 6 percent of boys reported using extreme measures such as self-induced vomiting, diet pills, or laxatives to control their weight. However, among those who ate five more meals a week with their families, the percentage of girls who were using extreme weight control measures was only 17 percent.

This study appeared in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

Labels: family, meals

Posted By: Aspen Education Group