Adolescent girls who frequently eat meals with their families are significantly less likely to use diet pills, laxatives or other extreme measures to control their weight in later years.
More than 2,500 adolescents completed two surveys, one in 1999 and one in 2004. The survey asked questions about their body mass index, eating behaviors, feelings of family connectedness, and how often they ate with their families.
Teen girls who ate five or more meals each week with their families in 1999 were less likely to report using extreme measures in 2004, regardless of any other factors.