Family Meals, Bedtime Routines Are Important to Kids with Chronic Illnesses
Published: Nov. 20, 2008
URBANA - Basic routines, such as family mealtimes and bedtime rituals, make a measurable difference in children's health, especially in kids who have chronic conditions such as asthma, said Barbara Fiese, at the 2008 fall lecture sponsored by The Pampered Chef® Family Resiliency Program at the University of Illinois.
"If you want to keep your children healthy, here's some simple advice that's grounded in science. Eat as a family, make sure your children get a good night's sleep, and slow down and take a deep breath when you need to," she said.
The new director of the U of I's Family Resiliency Center and the newly invested Pampered Chef® Ltd. Endowed Chair in Family Resiliency, Fiese showed in three studies she conducted at Syracuse University that children with persistent asthma had better lung function when they participated in family mealtimes that included certain forms of communication.
Fiese and other researchers videotaped the meals of 215 families that included a child with asthma and monitored the lung function of the affected children throughout the study with the help of a respiratory therapist and a pulmonologist.
"When mealtimes were organized and family members communicated well, we found that the children's lung function was better, even when we controlled for how dependably the children took their asthma medications," said Fiese.
In these families, mealtimes followed a well-orchestrated pattern. Family members often worked together to prepare the meal and set the table. Parents asked children about their day, checked in about how a test went, asked what was happening with their friends, and responded with concern when a child related an upsetting experience.
"A predictable, supportive environment at the table helped moderate children's emotions and made a real difference in severity of children's symptoms," she said.
The scientist said children with asthma also often struggle with a host of other health conditions such as anxiety, obesity, and sleep disturbances.
One of the things parents can do to promote some of the healthy aspects of shared family mealtimes is to turn off the television and cell phone during meals. Studies with adults show that people eat less when they're engaged in conversation.
"When children are in a noisy and chaotic environment--say the television's on in the background even if no one's watching it--or Mom's talking on the cell phone to her friend while she's spooning food onto plates, anxiety rises and people pay less attention to what they're eating so they end up eating more," she said.
Fiese also stressed the importance of getting enough sleep on optimal health for all family members, saying that "a poor night's sleep for one family member is likely a poor night's sleep for another." Lack of sleep is linked to depression, poor job performance, marital conflict, angry outbursts, and poor grades in school. A bedtime routine can help, she said.
In a nighttime waking study that included 500 observations of family dinner and bedtime routines, Fiese found that a parent's negative mood, hassles over kids not listening, and changes in plans are all associated with nighttime wakefulness. A predictable family routine at dinnertime and bedtime increased the likelihood of getting a good night's sleep, she said.
According to Fiese, conflicting schedules are the number one reason that parents report not following a mealtime routine. Time scarcity and targeted food marketing to young children also contribute to poor nutrition and conflict over food choices in the grocery aisle, in drive-throughs, and at the kitchen table, she said.
Neighborhood environments also play a role in children's decreasing health and poor nutrition, she said. "Since the 1970s, children have seen a 25 percent drop in play and a 50 percent drop in unstructured outdoor activities. And children six and under spend more time watching television than playing outside," she said.
Also, "food deserts" occur in poorer neighborhoods, where "children are more likely to encounter a Big Mac than an apple."
Grocery stores are three times more likely to exist in neighborhoods in the highest-income census track, whereas convenience stores not connected to gas stations are more common in poorer, predominantly African American neighborhoods, she said. This is important because it can add stresses and strains to families when they attempt to create healthy mealtimes for their children.
The typical family meal takes between 18 and 20 minutes, and bedtime routines need not be time-consuming and burdensome, said Fiese. She encouraged parents to develop and maintain these positive habits to improve their family's health and happiness.
She also encouraged communities and governments to support shared mealtimes through family-friendly policies at work, in schools, and at the state and federal level.
The lecture was sponsored by The Pampered Chef® Family Resiliency Program, a partnership between The Pampered Chef® and the Department of Human and Community Development at the University of Illinois. Doris Kelley Christopher, a University of Illinois alum, is the founder and chairman of The Pampered Chef®, the largest direct seller of high-quality kitchen tools and part of the Berkshire-Hathaway family of businesses.
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