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ESEARCH ARTICLE

ssociations between Watching TV during Familyeals and Dietary Intake Among Adolescents

ontinuing Education Questionnaire available at www.sne.org/ Meets Learning Need Codes for RDs and DTRs 4160, 4090,nd 4050.

hira Feldman, MPH, RD, LD1; Marla E. Eisenberg, ScD, MPH1,2;ianne Neumark-Sztainer, PhD, MPH, RD1; Mary Story, PhD, RD1

BSTRACT

Objective: To examine associations between watching television during family meals and dietaryintake among adolescents.Design: Cross-sectional study using survey data from a diverse sample of adolescents.Setting: Data were collected from a school-based survey during the 1998-1999 school year.Participants: Middle and high school students (N 4746) from 31 public schools in theMinneapolis-St. Paul area. Response rate was 81.5%.Variables Measured: Intake of fruits, total vegetables, dark green/yellow vegetables, calcium-richfood, grains, soft drinks, fried food, snack food, calories, family meal frequency, and watchingtelevision during meals.Analysis: General linear modeling comparing dietary intake across 3 groups.Results: 33.5% of boys and 30.9% of girls reported watching television during family meals.Adolescents watching television were found to have lower intakes of vegetables, dark green/yellowvegetables, calcium-rich food, and grains and higher intakes of soft drinks compared to adolescentsnot watching television during meals. However, watching television during family meals wasassociated with a more healthful diet than not eating regular family meals.Conclusions and Implications: Watching television during family meals was associated with poorerdietary quality among adolescents. Health care providers should work with families and adolescentsto promote family meals, emphasizing turning the TV off at meals.

Key Words: family meal, television, adolescent, dietary intake

(J Nutr Educ Behav. 2007;39:257-263)

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NTRODUCTION

he importance of family meals in adolescents lives haseceived recent attention. More frequent family meals aressociated with improved dietary intake among adolescents,ncluding higher intakes of grains, fruit, vegetables, vita-

Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, Uni-ersity of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MinnesotaDepartment of Pediatrics, Division of Adolescent Health and Medicine, Universityf Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesotaupport for this project came from grant MCJ-270834 (Dianne Neumark-Sztainer,rincipal investigator) from the Bureau of Maternal and Child Health (Title V,ocial Security Act), Health Resources and Services Administration, Department ofealth and Human Services, US Public Health Service, through funds from theeadership Education in Adolescent Health (LEAH) Fellowship Training Program,niversity of Minnesota (grant 1-T71-MC00025-01, Maternal and Child Healthureau, DHHS), and from the General Mills Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition.

ddress for Correspondence: Shira Feldman MPH, RD, LD, Division of Epidemiol-gy and Community Health, 1300 S. Second St. Suite 300, Minneapolis, Minnesota5454; Phone: (612) 624-1818; Fax: (612) 624-0315; E-mail: feld0111@umn.eduUBLISHED BY ELSEVIER INC. ON BEHALF OF THE SOCIETY FORfUTRITION EDUCATION

oi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2007.04.181ins, and minerals including calcium, folate, fiber, iron,nd vitamins A, C, E, B6, and B12, as well as a decreasedntake of soft drinks. 1-3 The frequency of family meals haseen found to decrease throughout adolescence.1,2,4,5 Re-earch indicates a steady decline as children age, with 51%f 9-year-olds and 35% of 14-year-olds reporting eatingamily dinner every day.2 In addition to varying frequencyf participation in family meals among adolescents, theontext in which family meals occur varies as well.1-4,6-9 Inome families, watching TV during meals is common prac-ice, whereas in other families, watching TV during meals isare.1,4,6,8-10 A national sample of adolescents indicated that4% of 11- to 18-year-olds had the TV on during meals.11

n important question that has not been explored ishether watching TV during family meals diminishes theutritional benefits of family meals.

Increased TV viewing has been associated with in-reased caloric intake and decreased diet quality amonghildren and adolescents, including consuming higher-fatood and lower intakes of fruits and vegetables.12-14 Data

rom the Youth Risk Behavior Survey indicated adolescents

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258 Feldman et al/TEENS WHO AVOID TV DURING FAMILY MEALS HAVE HIGHER DIET QUALITYho reported watching more than 2 hours of TV per dayere more likely to consume inadequate servings of fruitsnd vegetables compared to adolescents who reported 2 orewer hours of TV viewing per day.14 Coon and colleaguesooked at the relationship between watching TV at mealsnd dietary intake between fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-graders.he study found children from families with the TV on foror more meals per day had lower intakes of nutrient-rich

ood and higher intakes of processed food and soft drinksompared to children whose families had the TV on lessften during meals.9

The present study expands on available research on TViewing during family meals,15 looking at adolescents. Spe-ifically, the current study addresses the question: is watch-ng TV during family meals associated with adolescentsietary intake? The hypothesis was that watching TV dur-ng family meals would be associated with a poorer qualityiet compared to eating family meals but not watching TV.

secondary question examined whether watching TV dur-ng family meals was associated with better dietary intakeompared to not eating regular family meals. The hypoth-sis was that eating family meals while watching TV woulde associated with a higher quality diet than not eatingegular family meals.

ETHODStudy Design

ata for this study were drawn from Project Eating Amongeens (Project EAT), which was designed to assess socio-nvironmental, personal, and behavioral factors related todolescent nutrition. Trained research staff administeredhe Project EAT survey and the Youth/Adolescent Ques-ionnaire (YAQ; a food frequency survey) during physicalducation, health, and science classes. Data were collecteduring the 1998-1999 school year. Study procedures werepproved by the University of Minnesota Human Subjectsommittee and by the research boards of the participating

chool districts. Consent procedures were followed accord-ng to school policy, with passive consent used in somechools, and other schools requiring active consent. Theesponse rate for participation was 81.5%. The Project EATurvey was guided by Social Cognitive Theory as well asocus groups conducted with adolescents. The survey wasretested by seventh and tenth graders and then furtherilot-tested by 161 seventh and tenth graders over a 2-weeknterval. Additional details of the Project EAT study haveeen described previously.16,17

tudy Sample

he study sample included 4746 ethnically and socioeco-omically diverse adolescents from 31 public middle andigh schools throughout primarily urban school districts inhe Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. The sample

as equally divided by gender (50.2% boys, 49.8% girls), dnd the mean age was 14.9 years (range 11 to 18), with4.3% in middle school and 65.7% in high school. Thethnic/racial backgrounds of participants were as follows:8.5% white, 19.0% African American, 19.2% Asianmerican, 5.8% Hispanic, 3.5% Native American, and

.0% mixed/other. Of the total sample, 88.6% (n 4206)ompleted the YAQ. The final analytic sample consisted of064 participants because of missing data on key indepen-ent variables and reported caloric intakes outside thelausible range.

easuresamily meals. The Project EAT survey assessed fre-uency of family meals with the question: During the pasteven days, how many times did all, or most, of your familyiving in your house eat a meal together? (test-retest Spear-an r .74) Response categories were: never, 1-2 times,

-4 times, 5-6 times, 7 times, or more than 7 times. Prioresearch has shown similar dietary intake for adolescentseporting no family meals or 1 or 2 family meals, butifferences in intakes were seen for adolescents reportingore than 3 meals.1 Therefore, for the present analysis,

requency was dichotomized to 3 or more meals versus 2 orewer meals eaten together per week.

elevision viewing. Watching TV during meal timesas assessed, using the Project EAT survey, with the ques-

ion: In my family, we often watch TV while eatinginner (test-retest Spearman r .65). Response categoriesere: strongly disagree, somewhat disagree, somewhatgree, or strongly agree. Responses were dichotomized fornalysis (agree/disagree). Given that hours of TV viewingas been associated with dietary intake,13,14 total TV view-

ng time was adjusted for in the analysis. Total TV time wasssessed by asking how many hours per day adolescentsatched TV and videos in their free time on weekdays andeekends. Response categories for each were 0, 12 hour, 1our, 2 hours, 3 hours, 4 hours, or 5 hours, and responsesere used to calculate weekly hours of TV.

ietary intake. Dietary intake was measured with the49-item YAQ, which has been validated among adoles-ent populations.18-20 In the present analysis, daily servingsf fruit, total vegetables, dark green/yellow vegetables,alcium-rich food, grains, soft drinks, fried food, and snackood as well as daily caloric intake were assessed. Fruitervings were summed from reported intake of fruit and fruituices. Vegetable servings were summed from consumptionf individual vegetables, mixed vegetables, tomato sauce,nd coleslaw. Intakes of fried vegetables including frenchries and intakes of potatoes were excluded from totalegetable servings (analyses with and without fried foodnd potatoes revealed virtually identical results). Darkreen or yellow vegetables were analyzed separately, as

ietary recommendations indicate at least one third of

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Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior Volume 39, Number 5, September/October 2007 259egetables consumed should include dark green, yellow, orrange vegetables.21 Calcium-rich food included milk,hocolate milk, yogurt, cheese, cheeseburgers, pizza, maca-oni and cheese, grilled cheese, ice cream, pudding, andilk shakes. Grains included cereals, breads, tortillas, pasta,

ice, crackers, and pretzels. Soft drink servings includedweetened carbonated beverages, punch or lemonade, andruit drinks (not 100% fruit juice). Participants with calorientakes less than 400 kcal/day or greater than 7000 kcal/dayere excluded from analysis, as these values are biologically

mplausible for habitual intake. Caloric exclusion criteriare similar to that used in other studies,18 with a slightlyigher upper value, as it seemed possible that adolescentsould be consuming over 5000 kcal/day.1

ociodemographics. Gender, school level, race/thnicity, and socioeconomic status (SES) were based onelf-report. Adolescents were classified as middle schoolgrades 7 and 8) or high school (grades 9-12) students.ace/ethnicity was assessed with the question: Do you

hink of yourself as (a) white, (b) black or Africanmerican, (c) Hispanic or Latino, (d) Asian American,

e) Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, or (f) American Indianr Native American? Adolescents reporting more thanne response were coded as mixed/other. Variables usedo assess SES included parental education level, eligibil-ty for public assistance, eligibility for free or reducedost school meals, and parents employment status.16

tatistical Analysis

hree groups were created to describe family meals and TVatching: (1) adolescents eating regular family meals (3 orore family meals) who did not report watching television

uring meals; (2) adolescents eating regular family mealsho reported watching television during meals; and (3)dolescents who did not report eating regular family meals2 or fewer family meals). Continuous dependent variablesdietary intake) were adjusted for positive skewness usingquare root transformations.

General linear modeling was used to test the indepen-ent effect of the family meal group (no TV, with TV, ando family meals) on daily servings from each individual

ood group. Previous research has documented differencesn consumption patterns related to sociodemographic vari-bles and TV viewing13,14,16,22; therefore analysis was runith and without adjustment for SES, school grade level,

ace/ethnicity, total weekly TV viewing (hours), and totalaily caloric intake. Estimated mean intakes were squaredo transform them back to original scale and are reported asedian intakes.23 Analyses were conducted separately for

oys and girls.

ESULTSamily Meals and Television Watching

pproximately two-thirds (66.9%) of adolescents reported

ating regular family meals, characterized by 3 or more ramily meals during the past week. Among adolescentseporting eating regular family meals, roughly one halfeported watching TV during the family meal. Family mealatterns and TV watching were similar among boys andirls, although a slightly higher percentage of girls than boyseported not eating regular family meals (36.0% vs. 31.4%, .01).

Family meals and TV habits by sociodemographic char-cteristics are shown in Table 1. Middle school youth wereost likely to report eating family meals without watchingV, whereas high school adolescents were most likely to

eport not eating regular family meals. Differences in familyeals and TV watching were seen across race/ethnicity for

oys and girls. White adolescents were the least likely toeport eating regular family meals while watching TV, andfrican-American adolescents most often reported no reg-

lar family meals. In general, girls and boys from higher SESeported more family meals without TV, and adolescentsrom middle to low SES reported more family meals withV.

ietary Intake By Family Meals andelevision Watching

n unadjusted analyses, boys reporting regular family mealsithout TV were found to have a higher quality diet thanoys reporting watching TV during regular family mealsTable 2). After adjusting for sociodemographics, weeklyours spent watching TV, and caloric intake, boys eating

amily meals without TV were found to have more health-ul diets with significantly greater intakes of total vegeta-les, dark green/yellow vegetables, grains, and lower intakesf soft drinks compared to boys eating family meals withV. For example, boys eating family meals without TV

eported an average of 1.4 daily servings of total vegetablesompared to 1.2 daily servings among boys eating familyeals while watching TV (P .001). Differences in in-

akes of snack food, fried food, and total calories were nottatistically significant between boys not watching TV andoys watching TV during family meals (Table 2).

In unadjusted analyses, adolescent girls reportingamily meals without TV had significantly higher intakesf dark green/yellow vegetables and lower intakes of softrinks, fried food, and snack food compared to adoles-ent girls reporting family meals with TV. Significantifferences remained for dark green/yellow vegetablesnd fried food after adjusting for sociodemographics,eekly hours of TV, and caloric intake. For instance,irls watching TV during family meals had an average of.49 daily serving of snack foods compared to 0.54 dailyervings among girls not watching TV during familyeals (P .001). Caloric intake among girls not watch-

ng TV during meals was not statistically different com-ared to girls watching TV (Table 3).

Comparisons in dietary intake between adolescents who

eported regular family meals with TV and adolescents not

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260 Feldman et al/TEENS WHO AVOID TV DURING FAMILY MEALS HAVE HIGHER DIET QUALITYeporting regular family meals indicated that eating familyeals with TV was associated with improved dietary qual-

ty. In adjusted analyses, adolescent boys and girls reportingamily meals with TV were found to have higher intakes ofotal vegetables, calcium-rich food, and greater caloric in-akes compared to boys and girls reporting no regular familyeals. Girls reporting regular family meals with TV hadigher intakes of fruit and grains and lower intakes of softrinks and snack food than girls not reporting regular familyeals (Table 3), but these differences were not seen among

oys (Table 2).Family meals without TV were also found to be associated

ith more healthful intakes compared to not eating regularamily meals. In adjusted analyses, higher intakes of fruit, totalegetables, dark green/yellow vegetables, calcium-rich food,nd grains, and lower intakes of soft drinks, fried food, andnack food were found among adolescent boys and girls re-orting family meals without TV compared to boys and girls

able 1. Family Meals and Television Watching By Sociodemographic Cha

Boys (%)

FamilyMeals,No TV

(n 724)

FamilyMeals,

with TV(n 686)

NoFamilyMeals

(n 632) X2

otal 35.5 33.6 31.0chool Level 21.2

Middle School(658, 663)*

39.8 36.0 24.2

High School(1336, 1338)*

33.2 32.7 34.1

ace 58.9White

(1106, 984)*39.9 29.4 30.7

African American(304, 328)*

22.0 37.2 40.8

Hispanic(121, 98)*

33.9 42.2 24.0

Asian(372, 419)*

37.1 37.1 25.8

Native American(58, 84)*

20.7 53.5 25.9

Mixed (60, 84)* 33.3 38.3 28.3ocioeconomic

Status36.8

Low (275, 383)* 29.5 40.4 30.2Low-Middle

(367, 376)*29.4 36.8 33.8

Middle(540, 513)*

32.0 33.9 34.1

Upper-Middle(524, 440)*

40.7 30.5 28.8

High (294, 270)* 45.9 26.2 27.9

*n (boys, girls)eporting no family meals (Tables 2 and 3). tISCUSSION

his study explored associations between watching TVuring family meals and dietary intake among adolescents.he data suggest adolescents watching TV during familyeals are more likely to have a poorer quality diet com-

ared to adolescents eating family meals without watchingV. Watching TV during family meals was associated with

ower intakes of vegetables, grains, and dairy food, andigher intakes of soft drinks and fried food. Additionally,he results show that adolescents eating regular familyeals while watching TV had better quality diets than

dolescents not eating regular family meals.These findings are consistent with previous research on

amily meals and TV viewing.8,9 Coon and colleagues foundhat younger children whose families ate 2 or more mealsith the TV on consumed fewer servings of nutrient-rich

ood, including grains, fruit, green and yellow vegetables,eans, and nuts than children whose families ate meals with

tics among Adolescents

Girls (%)

Value

FamilyMeals,No TV

(n 687)

FamilyMeals,

with TV(n 624)

NoFamilyMeals

(n 711) X2 P Value34.0 30.9 35.2

.001 84.1 .00142.5 36.1 21.4

29.7 28.3 42.1

.001 60.9 .00137.2 25.6 37.2

21.7 36.3 42.1

38.8 27.6 33.7

37.2 38.4 24.3

29.8 32.1 38.1

32.1 35.7 32.1.001 84.9 .001

29.2 38.6 32.126.1 30.9 43.1

29.4 33.9 36.7

37.7 24.6 37.7

53.7 22.2 24.1racteris

P

he TV on for one or fewer meals. Additionally, in agree-

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Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior Volume 39, Number 5, September/October 2007 261ent with these findings, children from families with theV frequently on during meals consumed more soft drinks

han other children.9 A study by Boutelle et al focused onhe family meal environment of middle and junior highchool students and parental dietary intake and found par-nts reporting more frequent TV watching during familyeals were more likely to report a greater intake of fat and

ower intakes of fruits and vegetables.8 Associations be-ween childrens intake and TV during family meals wereot assessed in Boutelles study.

Current findings provide additional insight into theelationship between watching TV and dietary intake. Oneotential mechanism explaining the association betweenatching TV during meals and dietary intake is through the

nfluence of advertising. Commercials and advertisementshown on TV often focus on food and beverage productsromoting unhealthful food, potentially influencing foodhoices and eating patterns of adolescents and families.24,25

or instance, research has shown that among young chil-

able 2. Median Daily Servings from Food Groups by Family Meal Habits

Median DailyServings

Unadjusted Analysis

FamilyMeals, No TV

FamilyMeals, TV

No FamilyMeals

ruit 2.1 1.9 1.7

egetables 1.4 1.2 1.0

ark green/yellowvegetables

0.44 0.38 0.30

alcium-rich food 3.4 3.2 3.0

rains 6.0 5.7 5.9oft drinks 1.1 1.2 1.3

ried food 0.49 0.57 0.55

nack food 2.4 2.6 2.5alories 2293 2253 2232

*adjusted for socioeconomic status, school level, race, weekly hours wat,,superscripts indicate statistically significant differences when differen

able 3. Median Daily Servings from Food Groups by Family Meal Habits

Median DailyServings

Unadjusted Analysis

FamilyMeals, No TV

FamilyMeals, TV

No FamilyMeals

ruit 2.2 2.2 1.7

egetables 1.6 1.5 1.1

ark green/yellowvegetables

0.54 0.47 0.36

alcium rich food 2.9 2.7 2.2

rains 5.5 5.6 4.7

oft drinks 0.87 1.1 1.2

ried food 0.44 0.56 0.50

nack food 2.3 2.6 2.2

alories 2030 2157 1860

*adjusted for socioeconomic status (SES), school level, race, weekly hour

,,superscripts indicate statistically significant differences when different fromren, food requests and recognition of products were cor-elated with advertisements seen on TV.26,27 Adolescentsre not immune to advertisements or product placements inV shows, and they have been found to be more likely toesire a particular item when favorite celebrities are de-icted using the product.28 The finding that watching TVuring family meals, even after controlling for overall hourspent watching TV, was associated with a lower quality dietompared to not watching TV provides evidence that ex-osure to TV during meals may have a role in eating habitsf adolescents. Given this finding, health professionals,amilies, and adolescents should continue advocating forecreasing the number of TV commercials for low-nutrientood and increasing commercials for nutrient-dense food,ncluding fruits and vegetables. Promoting and advertisingealthful food on TV, while decreasing the number of ads

or unhealthful food, has the potential to positively influ-nce dietary intake among adolescents.

Although watching TV during family meals was associated

Adjusted Analysis*

alueFamily

Meals, No TVFamily

Meals, TVNo Family

Meals P Value.001 2.2 2.0 2.0 .112.001 1.4 1.2 1.1 .001.001 0.45 0.40 0.33 .001

.016 3.2 3.1 2.9 .001

.207 5.9 5.6 5.8 .004

.001 1.1 1.3 1.3 .001

.001 0.55 0.58 0.58 .137

.472 2.3 2.4 2.4 .122

.599 2357 2271 2208 .057

TV, caloric intakeeach other, P .05

Adjusted Analysis*

alueFamily

Meals, No TVFamily

Meals, TVNo Family

Meals P Value.001 2.2 2.2 2.0 .002.001 1.4 1.3 1.2 .001.001 0.48 0.43 0.40 .003

.001 2.6 2.5 2.3 .001

.001 5.4 5.3 5.1 .020

.001 0.94 1.0 1.3 .001

.001 0.49 0.54 0.56 .001

.014 2.2 2.2 2.4 .002

.001 2139 2240 1969 .001

hing TV, caloric intake(Boys)

P V

ching(Girls)

P V

s watc

each other, P .05

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262 Feldman et al/TEENS WHO AVOID TV DURING FAMILY MEALS HAVE HIGHER DIET QUALITYith a lower quality diet than not watching TV during meals,ndings also revealed that boys and girls watching TV duringegular family meals are more likely to report a more healthfuliet than adolescents who do not eat regular family meals. Ineneral, when families eat together, parents have the oppor-unity to influence what is served at meals. Families whohoose to eat together may be more likely to try to prepareell-balanced, nutritious meals compared to adolescents eat-

ng on their own who may rely on prepackaged convenienceood for meals, often lacking in fruits and vegetables. Addi-ionally, when families eat together less frequently, parentsay not have the opportunity to observe their adolescents

ating behaviors and may be unaware of dietary inadequacies.hen the family eats together more frequently, even if the

V is on, parents can observe what their adolescent is con-uming. Adolescent girls not participating in family mealsere found to have significantly lower calorie intakes thanirls eating family meals with or without watching TV. Thereas a similar trend among adolescent boys. One possiblexplanation for these findings is that adolescents not fre-uently participating in family meals may be at increased riskor engaging in chronic dieting, binge eating, and unhealthfuleight control behaviors,29 including restricting behaviors.dolescents not participating in family meals may also beore likely to underreport caloric intake and have greater

ifficulty accurately remembering portion sizes and food con-umed than adolescents participating in family meals. Overall,tudy findings provide clear evidence for the role of the familyeal in enhancing dietary quality among adolescents.

In some situations, it may be possible for TV to play aelpful role in increasing participation in family meals. Somedolescents cite a dissatisfaction with family relationships as aeason for not participating in family meals.4 Adolescentsnhappy with family relationships may be more likely toarticipate in family meals if the TV is on and conversationsnt the main focus. Therefore, it is possible that TV may beble to play the role of initially bringing families together foreals without causing additional strain on family relation-

hips, but still allowing for nutritional benefits of family mealsompared to not eating together.

This study has several strengths that enhance the abilityo draw conclusions from the findings. The large, socioeco-omically and ethnically diverse study sample enhances thebility to make generalizations to diverse adolescent popu-ations. The study was also strengthened by the use of aomprehensive survey instrument to assess dietary habits ofdolescents, including measures to assess both family mealatterns and TV viewing during meal times. Study limita-ions should be taken into account when interpreting re-ults. All variables were assessed via self-report; therefore,he possibility of social desirability, recall, or response biasas introduced. While the YAQ is a widely used, validated

ool for assessing dietary intake among adolescents, it is notithout limitations. Potential limitations may arise whensing the YAQ in an ethnically diverse population, withne study showing lower validity among African-American

dolescents,30 which compose 19% of the study population.inally, because of the cross-sectional and observationalature of the study, a causal relationship between familyeals and dietary intake cannot be established.

MPLICATIONS

indings from the current study support results of previoustudies suggesting that regular family meals are associatedith improved dietary quality among adolescents.1-3 Thendings revealed the most healthful diets, with highestntakes of fruits and vegetables and lowest intakes of softrinks and fried food, were seen among adolescents eatingamily meals without watching TV. Yet, eating as a family,ven with the TV on, appears to be beneficial, as adoles-ents reporting watching TV during regular family mealsere found to have a more healthful diet compared todolescents not eating regular family meals. Based on find-ngs from the current study and previous studies,1-3,9 dieti-ians and other health care providers should make efforts toork with adolescents and families to increase the overall

requency of family meals. In working with families, prac-itioners should encourage turning the TV off as often asossible to maximize the benefits of the family meal.

CKNOWLEDGMENTS

upport for this project came from grant MCJ-270834 (Di-nne Neumark-Sztainer, principal investigator) from the Bu-eau of Maternal and Child Health (Title V, Social Securityct), Health Resources and Services Administration, Depart-ent of Health and Human Services, US Public Healthervice, through funds from the Leadership Education in Ad-lescent Health (LEAH) Fellowship Training Program, Uni-ersity of Minnesota (grant 1-T71-MC00025-01, Maternalnd Child Health Bureau, DHHS), and from the Generalills Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition.

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0. Field A, Peterson K, Gortmaker SL, et al. Reproducibility and validityof a food frequency questionnaire among forth to seventh grade innercity school children: Implications of age and day to day variation in557-562. dietary intake. Public Health Nutr. 1999;2:293-300.2007 JNEB Best Article Award Goes to Tom Baranowski

Congratulations to Dr Tom Baranowski, winner of the 2007 JNEB Best Article Award for:

Baranowski T, Missaghian M, Broadfoot A, Watson K, Cullen K, Nicklas T, Fisher J, BaranowskiJ, ODonnell S. Fruit and vegetable shopping practices and social support scales: A validation. JNutr Educ Behav. 2006; 39:340-351.

Dr. Baranowski is Professor of Pediatrics, Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, at theChildrens Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston.

The Society for Nutrition Education sponsors the annual JNEB Best Article Award, consisting of$1000 and a commemorative plaque to the lead author of the winning article.

http://www.kff.org/entmedia/7251.cfmhttp://www.kff.org/entmedia/7251.cfm

Associations between Watching TV during Family Meals and Dietary Intake Among AdolescentsINTRODUCTIONMETHODSStudy DesignStudy SampleMeasuresFamily mealsTelevision viewingDietary intakeSociodemographics

Statistical Analysis

RESULTSFamily Meals and Television WatchingDietary Intake By Family Meals and Television Watching

DISCUSSIONIMPLICATIONSACKNOWLEDGMENTSREFERENCES