An Overweight Woman In Times Square, New York
IN PHOTO. An overweight woman sits on a chair in Times Square in New York, in this May 8, 2012 file photo. Reuters/Lucas Jackson/Files

A new study, led by psychologist Jerica M. Berge, found that when a family eats together, it may prevent teenagers from growing up to be obese. Researchers from the University of Minnesota and Columbia University have suggested that to fight obesity, a key factor could be how often a family eats together.

The research team from the two universities compared data related to sex, age, race, socioeconomic status and BMI from many weight-related studies which prime focus was on teenagers. The weight-related studies comparing the eating habits of more than 2,200 teenagers showed that about 51 percent of them were overweight while 22 percent were obese. It was found that among those teenagers who never shared a meal with their family, 60 percent of them were overweight while 29 percent were obese. This data was found by the researchers after a follow-up was done 10 years later.

Researchers have also found that even if families eat together for one or two meals together in a week, it could reduce the chances of obesity as well as other weight issues by around 33 percent. Eating about three to four meals together can reduce the chances of obesity by half. They suggest this could be because family meals, in comparison to outside meals, are healthier and also because eating together builds the bond and brings the family closer.

The researchers agreed there was no guarantee eating together could be the only way to prevent obesity. But while eating together, parents set an example to their children about eating healthy by serving nutritious meals. The findings of the study was published in The Journal of Pediatrics.

Berge is the assistant professor of family medicine at the University of Minnesota. She specialises in childhood and adolescent obesity, children's mental health, and families and health issues, among others. She suggests parents could focus on investing in one or two meals a week as this could make all the difference to prevent adolescent obesity.