Association between sharing meals with parents or guardians and obesity in Brazilian adolescents

Abstract: The study aimed to analyze the association between sharing lunch or supper with parents/guardians and obesity in Brazilian adolescents participating in the Study of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Adolescents (ERICA in Portuguese). This was a cross-sectional, school-based study with adolescents 12 to 17 years of age. Obesity was classified by body mass index based on World Health Organization criteria, according to age and sex. The association between obesity and sharing lunch and supper with parents/guardians (never, sometimes, almost every day, and every day) was analyzed according to crude and sex- and age-adjusted prevalence ratios. A total of 71,740 adolescents were assessed. Of these, 48% and 60% of girls and 56% and 65% of boys, respectively, shared lunch and supper every day or nearly every day. Boys who shared lunch and supper with their parents/guardians nearly every day and every day showed lower prevalence of obesity. Stratified by age bracket, only younger boys that ate lunch with their parents/guardians sometimes (PR = 0.64; 95%CI: 0.46-0.89), nearly every day (PR = 0.50; 95%CI: 0.37-0.69), and every day (PR = 0.65; 95%CI: 0.49-0.85) and supper with their parents/guardians every day (PR = 0.61; 95%CI: 0.43-0.87) showed lower prevalence of obesity. The findings highlight the importance of promoting healthy eating behaviors in the family setting as part of strategies to prevent obesity in adolescents.