The importance of dinnertime rituals for children in married or divorced families

Data from parent interviews and child diaries collected during the Family\ud Routines and Eating habits study were used to examine the relations between family\ud structure, diet quality, dinnertime rituals, and academic achievement (N =34). It was\ud hypothesized that (1) family dinnertime routines will be related to positive eating habits,\ud (2) Positive eating habits will be related to achievement motivation, (3) Children from\ud divorced/separated families will have a higher risk for obesity and lower achievement\ud motivation compared to peers in married/cohabitating families; (4) Dinnertime rituals\ud will predict are children???s achievement motivation; and (5) Dinnertime rituals will predict\ud lower obesity risk. Analysis indicated support for hypotheses 3 and 4 and partial support\ud for hypothesis 2 , whereby, (2 ) eating breakfast (but not overall obesity risk) was\ud positively related to children???s academic motivation, (3) children from divorced families\ud had a lower level of achievement motivation compared to children from married families,\ud and (4) a mediation effect for dinnertime routines was found, whereby dinnertime\ud routines related to higher achievement motivation in children after controlling for family\ud structure. The importance of family routines and eating habits is discussed as a way to\ud encourage achievement motivation in children