What is the role of family meals and social eating behaviour in relation to experiential avoidance in adolescents among Spanish adolescents? the EHDLA study

Purpose The aim of the present study was to analyse the associations of family meals and social eating behaviour (SEB) with experiential avoidance (EA) in adolescents from Spain. Methods This cross-sectional study involved 617 adolescents (aged 12-17 years, 56.7% females) from the Eating Habits and Daily Life Activities study from Valle de Ricote (Region of Murcia, Spain). Variables were analysed using visual techniques including Shapiro-Wilk test and density and quantile-quantile plots. Continuous data were displayed using medians and IQRs, while categorical data was shown as percentages. The frequency of family meals was assessed by asking participants to indicate how many times their family had shared a meal together during the previous week. SEB was self-reported by the adolescents through responses to three statements. To measure EA, we used the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II). Generalised linear models were employed to ascertain the associations of family meals or SEB with EA. Results For each further point in SEB, a lower estimated marginal mean (M) of the AAQ-II was observed (-0.86 points, 95% CI -1.39 to -0.33, p=0.001). In terms of family meal status, the highest AAQ-II score was found in those with low family meal status (M=20.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] 18.1 to 22.2), followed by participants with medium family meal status (M=19.2, 95% CI 17.0 to 21.4) and those with high family meal status (M=18.8, 95% CI 16.1 to 21.0). Significant differences were observed between participants with high SEB status and their counterparts with medium SEB (p=0.004) or low SEB (p<0.001). Conclusions This research revealed a significant relationship between SEB and EA and a non-significant relationship between the frequency of family meals and EA. Promoting positive social eating environments and increasing family meal participation could help reduce the prevalence of EA and its negative consequences in adolescents.