A study led by Rachel Tumin, Survey and Population Health Analyst Manager at GRC, evaluated associations between family mealtime frequency, eating home-cooked meals, watching television during family meals, and the odds of obesity in adults. Using data from the 2012 Ohio Medicaid Assessment Survey data on 12,842 adults who had eaten at least one family meal in the past week, results from the study found families who avoided television and videos during family mealtimes and ate family meals that were cooked at home were each associated with lower odds of obesity.
Adults might eat more food when they are watching TV, and meals that are not home-cooked may be less healthy than meals that are home-cooked.