Family Dinner Frequency and its Effect to Risk Behaviors among Nursing Students

Family meals provide opportunities for families to communicate, express their feelings, and provide support to each other. Increased family connectedness and communication can be associated with decreased adolescent involvement in problematic behaviors such as alcohol use, smoking and illicit drug use. The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between the frequency of family dinner and alcohol use, smoking and illicit drug use. This study utilized a descriptive-correlational design. A researcher-structured questionnaire was used to gather data among 214 nursing students from a selected college of nursing in Metro Manila. Data were analyzed through frequency and percentage distribution, Pearson’s chi square and Spearman’s rho. Nursing students who often share family meals together are less likely to engage in alcohol use. Increased family dinner occurrences resulted in decreased alcohol use and cigarette smoking among nursing students. Results of this study can be used by nursing practitioners and educators to promote the importance of family dinner as part of their holistic care to clients especially to parents, adolescents and the community. Nursing students will be encouraged to seek more family meals and spend time bonding with their families. It will also help guide the creation of more family days in schools to allow students to have more opportunities to bond with their families.

 

Keywords: Family meals, smoking, alcohol use, illicit drug use, nursing students