Family Meal Intervention for Cardiovascular Health

Overseen By Shannon Robson, PhD, MPH, RD

Age: < 18

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of Delaware

Disqualifiers: Internet access, Growth-impacting condition, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 2

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial explores how frequent family dinners, referred to as "Family Meals," might help prevent heart disease. Participants will either have at least five family dinners per week or focus on eating plenty of fruits and vegetables. Suitable candidates are parents with children aged 6–12 who are not considered overweight and have at least two risk factors for heart disease, such as smoking or high cholesterol. As an unphased trial, this study offers a unique opportunity to contribute to understanding lifestyle changes that may prevent heart disease.

Do I need to stop my current medications for the trial?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

What prior data suggests that family meals are safe for cardiovascular health?

Research shows that frequent family meals are linked to better heart health. Studies indicate that eating together regularly can reduce the risk of heart problems. Families sharing at least five meals a week have children who are about 25% less likely to experience nutritional issues, suggesting that family meals are generally safe and beneficial.

No reports indicate negative effects from having more family meals. Thus, the practice of eating together is well-tolerated and offers a safe way to improve heart health without side effects. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about the Family Meal Intervention because it takes a unique approach to improving cardiovascular health by emphasizing the social and behavioral aspects of eating. Unlike many current treatments that focus on medication or dietary supplements, this intervention encourages families to have at least five dinners together per week. This approach aims to strengthen family bonds and create a supportive environment for healthier eating habits, which could lead to better long-term cardiovascular outcomes. By focusing on lifestyle changes rather than just dietary components, this method has the potential to improve adherence and sustainability, setting it apart from standard dietary recommendations alone.

What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective for cardiovascular health?

In this trial, participants in the Family Meals arm will have at least five dinners together each week. A previous study showed that frequent family meals lowered several risk factors for heart disease in older adults. Studies have also found that children who eat with their families at least five times a week are about 25% less likely to have nutritional health problems. Observational research shows a link between regular family meals and better heart health in children. Additionally, these shared meals can increase the likelihood of eating healthy foods by 24%. Overall, the evidence suggests that eating together as a family could improve heart health and reduce the risk of heart disease. ^{3 5 6 7 8}

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for parents aged 18 or older with a child between 6-12 years old who isn't obese. The parent must have at least two CVD risk factors like smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, lack of exercise, being overweight, or diabetes. They need to speak English and have internet access.

Inclusion Criteria

Parent is able to read, speak and understand English

My child is between 6-12 years old and has a healthy weight for their age and sex.

Parent reports at least 2 of the following CVD risk factors: smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, physical inactivity, overweight/obesity, diabetes

Exclusion Criteria

I live with my child less than 5 days a week.

Parents who report a medical condition that impacts growth or requires a specific eating plan for themselves or their child.

Parents who do not have access to the internet and/or are unable to attend intervention sessions

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Intervention

Participants engage in family meals with at least 5 dinners per week or consume recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables

6 months

Monthly check-ins

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in cardiovascular health indicators such as blood pressure, diet quality, and body mass index

4 months

Visits at Months 2, 6, 8, and 10

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Family Meals
• Standard

Trial Overview

The study is testing if having family meals together can help prevent heart disease (CVD). It compares the effects of standard dietary advice against the practice of sharing meals as a family on cardiovascular health.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Family Meals Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Have at least 5 dinners per week.

Group II: Standard Active Control 1 Intervention

Consume the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of Delaware

Lead Sponsor

Trials

167

Recruited

25,700+

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Collaborator

Trials

2,896

Recruited

8,053,000+

Published Research Related to This Trial

Regular family meals are linked to healthier eating habits and reduced obesity risk in children and adolescents, highlighting their importance in health promotion efforts.

Four out of six reviewed interventions successfully increased family meal frequency, using strategies like goal setting and interactive activities, while also identifying barriers such as time constraints and food preferences that future programs should address.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Promoting family meals: a review of existing interventions and opportunities for future research. Dwyer, L., Oh, A., Patrick, H., et al.[2022]

The HOME Plus intervention, which included 81 families with children aged 8-12, successfully promoted healthy eating and increased family meal participation through ten monthly sessions and motivational calls, achieving a high average attendance of 68%.

Families reported high satisfaction with the program, particularly enjoying cooking together and learning new healthy recipes, indicating that community-based interventions can effectively engage families in improving dietary quality and preventing obesity.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

HOME Plus: Program design and implementation of a family-focused, community-based intervention to promote the frequency and healthfulness of family meals, reduce children's sedentary behavior, and prevent obesity. Flattum, C., Draxten, M., Horning, M., et al.[2018]

A study involving 120 families and 800 meals found that observing at least one weekday and one weekend family dinner is necessary to accurately assess meal healthfulness, highlighting the importance of capturing variability in meal types.

Collecting data over 3 to 4 days of family meals can effectively characterize typical weekly meal healthfulness, which can help streamline future research and reduce participant burden.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Days Needed to Characterize the Healthfulness of a Typical Dinner Meal in Direct Observational Research: Mixed Methods Study. Tate, A., Trofholz, A., Miner, M., et al.[2021]

Shared family meals are associated with healthier dietary patterns in children and adolescents, such as increased consumption of fruits and vegetables, based on evidence from 54 original studies and 11 reviews.

However, most of the evidence is cross-sectional, which limits the ability to determine causality, and there is insufficient evidence to support that interventions can effectively increase the frequency of shared meals or prevent childhood obesity.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Diet and Health Benefits Associated with In-Home Eating and Sharing Meals at Home: A Systematic Review. Glanz, K., Metcalfe, JJ., Folta, SC., et al.[2021]

More frequent family meals are linked to healthier food choices and greater nutrient intake in children and adolescents, potentially reducing the risk of obesity and eating disorders.

The positive effects of family meals can be diminished by factors like consuming fast food, watching television during meals, or having a chaotic environment, highlighting the importance of a supportive mealtime atmosphere.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Come and get it! A discussion of family mealtime literature and factors affecting obesity risk. Martin-Biggers, J., Spaccarotella, K., Berhaupt-Glickstein, A., et al.[2023]

Family meals, particularly those consumed at home, are linked to better dietary quality in children and adolescents, as indicated by a study conducted in various Ontario and Nova Scotia classrooms during the 2005-2006 school year.

Diet quality worsens when meals are purchased outside the home or when meals are skipped, highlighting the importance of home-cooked meals and regular meal consumption for healthier eating habits.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effect of meal environment on diet quality rating. Woodruff, SJ., Hanning, RM.[2009]

In a study of 1,779 parents from a nationally representative sample of 4,885 adults, it was found that more frequent family meals are linked to lower adult BMI, indicating a potential benefit for maintaining a healthy weight.

Additionally, lower quality family meals, characterized by distractions, were associated with higher adult BMI, suggesting that both the frequency and the quality of family meals are important for adult health outcomes.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The individual and combined influence of the "quality" and "quantity" of family meals on adult body mass index. Berge, JM., Wickel, K., Doherty, WJ.[2021]

Research indicates that having more family meals is linked to healthier eating habits in youth, such as increased fruit and vegetable consumption and a lower risk of obesity.

While the current evidence suggests that family meals could improve dietary patterns and weight status, more rigorous prospective studies are needed to establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship with cardiovascular health.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Family Meals and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Young Children. Robson, SM., Alvarado, AV., Baker-Smith, CM.[2023]

A meta-analysis of 50 studies involving 49,137 participants found that specific components of family meals, such as turning off the TV and parental modeling of healthy eating, are positively associated with better nutritional health in children.

The strongest association was found with longer meal duration (r = .20), indicating that spending more time at the table can significantly benefit children's diet quality and BMI.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Quality matters: A meta-analysis on components of healthy family meals. Dallacker, M., Hertwig, R., Mata, J.[2020]

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