Continuing Education Questionnaire available at www.sne.

org/ Meets Learning Need Codes for RDs and DTRs 4160, 4090,
and 4050.

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Profe
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Associations between Watching TV during Family

Meals and Dietary Intake Among Adolescents

Con

RESEARCH ARTICLE

CPE
Edu

cation

Shira Feldman, MPH, RD, LD1; Marla E. Eisenberg, ScD, MPH1,2;

Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, PhD, MPH, RD1; Mary Story, PhD, RD1
ABSTRACT
Objective: To examine associations between watching television during family meals and dietary
intake among adolescents.
Design: Cross-sectional study using survey data from a diverse sample of adolescents.
Setting: Data were collected from a school-based survey during the 1998-1999 school year.
Participants: Middle and high school students (N 4746) from 31 public schools in the
Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Response rate was 81.5%.
Variables Measured: Intake of fruits, total vegetables, dark green/yellow vegetables, calcium-rich
food, grains, soft drinks, fried food, snack food, calories, family meal frequency, and watching
television during meals.
Analysis: General linear modeling comparing dietary intake across 3 groups.
Results: 33.5% of boys and 30.9% of girls reported watching television during family meals.
Adolescents watching television were found to have lower intakes of vegetables, dark green/yellow
vegetables, calcium-rich food, and grains and higher intakes of soft drinks compared to adolescents
not watching television during meals. However, watching television during family meals was
associated with a more healthful diet than not eating regular family meals.
Conclusions and Implications: Watching television during family meals was associated with poorer
dietary quality among adolescents. Health care providers should work with families and adolescents
to promote family meals, emphasizing turning the TV off at meals.
Key Words: family meal, television, adolescent, dietary intake
(J Nutr Educ Behav. 2007;39:257-263)

INTRODUCTION
The importance of family meals in adolescents lives has
received recent attention. More frequent family meals are
associated with improved dietary intake among adolescents,
including higher intakes of grains, fruit, vegetables, vita-

Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Adolescent Health and Medicine, University
of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Support for this project came from grant MCJ-270834 (Dianne Neumark-Sztainer,
principal investigator) from the Bureau of Maternal and Child Health (Title V,
Social Security Act), Health Resources and Services Administration, Department of
Health and Human Services, US Public Health Service, through funds from the
Leadership Education in Adolescent Health (LEAH) Fellowship Training Program,
University of Minnesota (grant 1-T71-MC00025-01, Maternal and Child Health
Bureau, DHHS), and from the General Mills Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition.

Address for Correspondence: Shira Feldman MPH, RD, LD, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, 1300 S. Second St. Suite 300, Minneapolis, Minnesota
55454; Phone: (612) 624-1818; Fax: (612) 624-0315; E-mail: feld0111@umn.edu

PUBLISHED BY ELSEVIER INC. ON BEHALF OF THE SOCIETY FOR

NUTRITION EDUCATION
doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2007.04.181

mins, and minerals including calcium, folate, fiber, iron,

and vitamins A, C, E, B6, and B12, as well as a decreased
intake of soft drinks. 1-3 The frequency of family meals has
been found to decrease throughout adolescence.1,2,4,5 Research indicates a steady decline as children age, with 51%
of 9-year-olds and 35% of 14-year-olds reporting eating
family dinner every day.2 In addition to varying frequency
of participation in family meals among adolescents, the
context in which family meals occur varies as well.1-4,6-9 In
some families, watching TV during meals is common practice, whereas in other families, watching TV during meals is
rare.1,4,6,8-10 A national sample of adolescents indicated that
64% of 11- to 18-year-olds had the TV on during meals.11
An important question that has not been explored is
whether watching TV during family meals diminishes the
nutritional benefits of family meals.
Increased TV viewing has been associated with increased caloric intake and decreased diet quality among
children and adolescents, including consuming higher-fat
food and lower intakes of fruits and vegetables.12-14 Data
from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey indicated adolescents

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Feldman et al/TEENS WHO AVOID TV DURING FAMILY MEALS HAVE HIGHER DIET QUALITY

who reported watching more than 2 hours of TV per day

were more likely to consume inadequate servings of fruits
and vegetables compared to adolescents who reported 2 or
fewer hours of TV viewing per day.14 Coon and colleagues
looked at the relationship between watching TV at meals
and dietary intake between fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-graders.
The study found children from families with the TV on for
2 or more meals per day had lower intakes of nutrient-rich
food and higher intakes of processed food and soft drinks
compared to children whose families had the TV on less
often during meals.9
The present study expands on available research on TV
viewing during family meals,15 looking at adolescents. Specifically, the current study addresses the question: is watching TV during family meals associated with adolescents
dietary intake? The hypothesis was that watching TV during family meals would be associated with a poorer quality
diet compared to eating family meals but not watching TV.
A secondary question examined whether watching TV during family meals was associated with better dietary intake
compared to not eating regular family meals. The hypothesis was that eating family meals while watching TV would
be associated with a higher quality diet than not eating
regular family meals.

METHODS
Study Design
Data for this study were drawn from Project Eating Among
Teens (Project EAT), which was designed to assess socioenvironmental, personal, and behavioral factors related to
adolescent nutrition. Trained research staff administered
the Project EAT survey and the Youth/Adolescent Questionnaire (YAQ; a food frequency survey) during physical
education, health, and science classes. Data were collected
during the 1998-1999 school year. Study procedures were
approved by the University of Minnesota Human Subjects
Committee and by the research boards of the participating
school districts. Consent procedures were followed according to school policy, with passive consent used in some
schools, and other schools requiring active consent. The
response rate for participation was 81.5%. The Project EAT
survey was guided by Social Cognitive Theory as well as
focus groups conducted with adolescents. The survey was
pretested by seventh and tenth graders and then further
pilot-tested by 161 seventh and tenth graders over a 2-week
interval. Additional details of the Project EAT study have
been described previously.16,17

Study Sample
The study sample included 4746 ethnically and socioeconomically diverse adolescents from 31 public middle and
high schools throughout primarily urban school districts in
the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. The sample
was equally divided by gender (50.2% boys, 49.8% girls),

and the mean age was 14.9 years (range 11 to 18), with
34.3% in middle school and 65.7% in high school. The
ethnic/racial backgrounds of participants were as follows:
48.5% white, 19.0% African American, 19.2% Asian
American, 5.8% Hispanic, 3.5% Native American, and
4.0% mixed/other. Of the total sample, 88.6% (n 4206)
completed the YAQ. The final analytic sample consisted of
4064 participants because of missing data on key independent variables and reported caloric intakes outside the
plausible range.

Measures
Family meals. The Project EAT survey assessed frequency of family meals with the question: During the past
seven days, how many times did all, or most, of your family
living in your house eat a meal together? (test-retest Spearman r .74) Response categories were: never, 1-2 times,
3-4 times, 5-6 times, 7 times, or more than 7 times. Prior
research has shown similar dietary intake for adolescents
reporting no family meals or 1 or 2 family meals, but
differences in intakes were seen for adolescents reporting
more than 3 meals.1 Therefore, for the present analysis,
frequency was dichotomized to 3 or more meals versus 2 or
fewer meals eaten together per week.

Television viewing. Watching TV during meal times

was assessed, using the Project EAT survey, with the question: In my family, we often watch TV while eating
dinner (test-retest Spearman r .65). Response categories
were: strongly disagree, somewhat disagree, somewhat
agree, or strongly agree. Responses were dichotomized for
analysis (agree/disagree). Given that hours of TV viewing
has been associated with dietary intake,13,14 total TV viewing time was adjusted for in the analysis. Total TV time was
assessed by asking how many hours per day adolescents
watched TV and videos in their free time on weekdays and
weekends. Response categories for each were 0, 12 hour, 1
hour, 2 hours, 3 hours, 4 hours, or 5 hours, and responses
were used to calculate weekly hours of TV.

Dietary intake. Dietary intake was measured with the

149-item YAQ, which has been validated among adolescent populations.18-20 In the present analysis, daily servings
of fruit, total vegetables, dark green/yellow vegetables,
calcium-rich food, grains, soft drinks, fried food, and snack
food as well as daily caloric intake were assessed. Fruit
servings were summed from reported intake of fruit and fruit
juices. Vegetable servings were summed from consumption
of individual vegetables, mixed vegetables, tomato sauce,
and coleslaw. Intakes of fried vegetables including french
fries and intakes of potatoes were excluded from total
vegetable servings (analyses with and without fried food
and potatoes revealed virtually identical results). Dark
green or yellow vegetables were analyzed separately, as
dietary recommendations indicate at least one third of

Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior Volume 39, Number 5, September/October 2007

vegetables consumed should include dark green, yellow, or

orange vegetables.21 Calcium-rich food included milk,
chocolate milk, yogurt, cheese, cheeseburgers, pizza, macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese, ice cream, pudding, and
milk shakes. Grains included cereals, breads, tortillas, pasta,
rice, crackers, and pretzels. Soft drink servings included
sweetened carbonated beverages, punch or lemonade, and
fruit drinks (not 100% fruit juice). Participants with calorie
intakes less than 400 kcal/day or greater than 7000 kcal/day
were excluded from analysis, as these values are biologically
implausible for habitual intake. Caloric exclusion criteria
are similar to that used in other studies,18 with a slightly
higher upper value, as it seemed possible that adolescents
could be consuming over 5000 kcal/day.1

Sociodemographics. Gender, school level, race/

ethnicity, and socioeconomic status (SES) were based on
self-report. Adolescents were classified as middle school
(grades 7 and 8) or high school (grades 9-12) students.
Race/ethnicity was assessed with the question: Do you
think of yourself as (a) white, (b) black or African
American, (c) Hispanic or Latino, (d) Asian American,
(e) Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, or (f) American Indian
or Native American? Adolescents reporting more than
one response were coded as mixed/other. Variables used
to assess SES included parental education level, eligibility for public assistance, eligibility for free or reduced
cost school meals, and parents employment status.16
Statistical Analysis
Three groups were created to describe family meals and TV
watching: (1) adolescents eating regular family meals (3 or
more family meals) who did not report watching television
during meals; (2) adolescents eating regular family meals
who reported watching television during meals; and (3)
adolescents who did not report eating regular family meals
(2 or fewer family meals). Continuous dependent variables
(dietary intake) were adjusted for positive skewness using
square root transformations.
General linear modeling was used to test the independent effect of the family meal group (no TV, with TV, and
no family meals) on daily servings from each individual
food group. Previous research has documented differences
in consumption patterns related to sociodemographic variables and TV viewing13,14,16,22; therefore analysis was run
with and without adjustment for SES, school grade level,
race/ethnicity, total weekly TV viewing (hours), and total
daily caloric intake. Estimated mean intakes were squared
to transform them back to original scale and are reported as
median intakes.23 Analyses were conducted separately for
boys and girls.

RESULTS
Family Meals and Television Watching
Approximately two-thirds (66.9%) of adolescents reported
eating regular family meals, characterized by 3 or more

259

family meals during the past week. Among adolescents

reporting eating regular family meals, roughly one half
reported watching TV during the family meal. Family meal
patterns and TV watching were similar among boys and
girls, although a slightly higher percentage of girls than boys
reported not eating regular family meals (36.0% vs. 31.4%,
P .01).
Family meals and TV habits by sociodemographic characteristics are shown in Table 1. Middle school youth were
most likely to report eating family meals without watching
TV, whereas high school adolescents were most likely to
report not eating regular family meals. Differences in family
meals and TV watching were seen across race/ethnicity for
boys and girls. White adolescents were the least likely to
report eating regular family meals while watching TV, and
African-American adolescents most often reported no regular family meals. In general, girls and boys from higher SES
reported more family meals without TV, and adolescents
from middle to low SES reported more family meals with
TV.

Dietary Intake By Family Meals and

Television Watching
In unadjusted analyses, boys reporting regular family meals
without TV were found to have a higher quality diet than
boys reporting watching TV during regular family meals
(Table 2). After adjusting for sociodemographics, weekly
hours spent watching TV, and caloric intake, boys eating
family meals without TV were found to have more healthful diets with significantly greater intakes of total vegetables, dark green/yellow vegetables, grains, and lower intakes
of soft drinks compared to boys eating family meals with
TV. For example, boys eating family meals without TV
reported an average of 1.4 daily servings of total vegetables
compared to 1.2 daily servings among boys eating family
meals while watching TV (P .001). Differences in intakes of snack food, fried food, and total calories were not
statistically significant between boys not watching TV and
boys watching TV during family meals (Table 2).
In unadjusted analyses, adolescent girls reporting
family meals without TV had significantly higher intakes
of dark green/yellow vegetables and lower intakes of soft
drinks, fried food, and snack food compared to adolescent girls reporting family meals with TV. Significant
differences remained for dark green/yellow vegetables
and fried food after adjusting for sociodemographics,
weekly hours of TV, and caloric intake. For instance,
girls watching TV during family meals had an average of
0.49 daily serving of snack foods compared to 0.54 daily
servings among girls not watching TV during family
meals (P .001). Caloric intake among girls not watching TV during meals was not statistically different compared to girls watching TV (Table 3).
Comparisons in dietary intake between adolescents who
reported regular family meals with TV and adolescents not

260

Feldman et al/TEENS WHO AVOID TV DURING FAMILY MEALS HAVE HIGHER DIET QUALITY

Table 1. Family Meals and Television Watching By Sociodemographic Characteristics among Adolescents

Boys (%)

Total
School Level
Middle School
(658, 663)*
High School
(1336, 1338)*
Race
White
(1106, 984)*
African American
(304, 328)*
Hispanic
(121, 98)*
Asian
(372, 419)*
Native American
(58, 84)*
Mixed (60, 84)*
Socioeconomic
Status
Low (275, 383)*
Low-Middle
(367, 376)*
Middle
(540, 513)*
Upper-Middle
(524, 440)*
High (294, 270)*

Girls (%)
Family
Meals,
No TV
(n 687)
34.0

Family
Meals,
with TV
(n 624)
30.9

No
Family
Meals
(n 711)
35.2

24.2

42.5

36.1

21.4

32.7

34.1

29.7

28.3

42.1

39.9

29.4

30.7

37.2

25.6

37.2

22.0

37.2

40.8

21.7

36.3

42.1

33.9

42.2

24.0

38.8

27.6

33.7

37.1

37.1

25.8

37.2

38.4

24.3

20.7

53.5

25.9

29.8

32.1

38.1

33.3

38.3

28.3

32.1

35.7

32.1

Family
Meals,
No TV
(n 724)
35.5

Family
Meals,
with TV
(n 686)
33.6

No
Family
Meals
(n 632)
31.0

39.8

36.0

33.2

X2

P Value

21.2

.001

58.9

36.8

.001

.001

29.5
29.4

40.4
36.8

30.2
33.8

29.2
26.1

38.6
30.9

32.1
43.1

32.0

33.9

34.1

29.4

33.9

36.7

40.7

30.5

28.8

37.7

24.6

37.7

45.9

26.2

27.9

53.7

22.2

24.1

X2

P Value

84.1

.001

60.9

.001

84.9

.001

*n (boys, girls)

reporting regular family meals indicated that eating family

meals with TV was associated with improved dietary quality. In adjusted analyses, adolescent boys and girls reporting
family meals with TV were found to have higher intakes of
total vegetables, calcium-rich food, and greater caloric intakes compared to boys and girls reporting no regular family
meals. Girls reporting regular family meals with TV had
higher intakes of fruit and grains and lower intakes of soft
drinks and snack food than girls not reporting regular family
meals (Table 3), but these differences were not seen among
boys (Table 2).
Family meals without TV were also found to be associated
with more healthful intakes compared to not eating regular
family meals. In adjusted analyses, higher intakes of fruit, total
vegetables, dark green/yellow vegetables, calcium-rich food,
and grains, and lower intakes of soft drinks, fried food, and
snack food were found among adolescent boys and girls reporting family meals without TV compared to boys and girls
reporting no family meals (Tables 2 and 3).

DISCUSSION
This study explored associations between watching TV
during family meals and dietary intake among adolescents.
The data suggest adolescents watching TV during family
meals are more likely to have a poorer quality diet compared to adolescents eating family meals without watching
TV. Watching TV during family meals was associated with
lower intakes of vegetables, grains, and dairy food, and
higher intakes of soft drinks and fried food. Additionally,
the results show that adolescents eating regular family
meals while watching TV had better quality diets than
adolescents not eating regular family meals.
These findings are consistent with previous research on
family meals and TV viewing.8,9 Coon and colleagues found
that younger children whose families ate 2 or more meals
with the TV on consumed fewer servings of nutrient-rich
food, including grains, fruit, green and yellow vegetables,
beans, and nuts than children whose families ate meals with
the TV on for one or fewer meals. Additionally, in agree-

Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior Volume 39, Number 5, September/October 2007

261

Table 2. Median Daily Servings from Food Groups by Family Meal Habits (Boys)

Unadjusted Analysis
Median Daily
Servings
Fruit
Vegetables
Dark green/yellow
vegetables
Calcium-rich food
Grains
Soft drinks
Fried food
Snack food
Calories

Adjusted Analysis*

Family
Meals, No TV
2.1
1.4
0.44

Family
Meals, TV
1.9
1.2
0.38

No Family
Meals
1.7
1.0
0.30

P Value
.001
.001
.001

Family
Meals, No TV
2.2
1.4
0.45

Family
Meals, TV
2.0
1.2
0.40

No Family
Meals
2.0
1.1
0.33

P Value
.112
.001
.001

3.4
6.0
1.1
0.49
2.4
2293

3.2
5.7
1.2
0.57
2.6
2253

3.0
5.9
1.3
0.55
2.5
2232

.016
.207
.001
.001
.472
.599

3.2
5.9
1.1
0.55
2.3
2357

3.1
5.6
1.3
0.58
2.4
2271

2.9
5.8
1.3
0.58
2.4
2208

.001
.004
.001
.137
.122
.057

*adjusted for socioeconomic status, school level, race, weekly hours watching TV, caloric intake
,,
superscripts indicate statistically significant differences when different from each other, P .05

ment with these findings, children from families with the

TV frequently on during meals consumed more soft drinks
than other children.9 A study by Boutelle et al focused on
the family meal environment of middle and junior high
school students and parental dietary intake and found parents reporting more frequent TV watching during family
meals were more likely to report a greater intake of fat and
lower intakes of fruits and vegetables.8 Associations between childrens intake and TV during family meals were
not assessed in Boutelles study.
Current findings provide additional insight into the
relationship between watching TV and dietary intake. One
potential mechanism explaining the association between
watching TV during meals and dietary intake is through the
influence of advertising. Commercials and advertisements
shown on TV often focus on food and beverage products
promoting unhealthful food, potentially influencing food
choices and eating patterns of adolescents and families.24,25
For instance, research has shown that among young chil-

dren, food requests and recognition of products were correlated with advertisements seen on TV.26,27 Adolescents
are not immune to advertisements or product placements in
TV shows, and they have been found to be more likely to
desire a particular item when favorite celebrities are depicted using the product.28 The finding that watching TV
during family meals, even after controlling for overall hours
spent watching TV, was associated with a lower quality diet
compared to not watching TV provides evidence that exposure to TV during meals may have a role in eating habits
of adolescents. Given this finding, health professionals,
families, and adolescents should continue advocating for
decreasing the number of TV commercials for low-nutrient
food and increasing commercials for nutrient-dense food,
including fruits and vegetables. Promoting and advertising
healthful food on TV, while decreasing the number of ads
for unhealthful food, has the potential to positively influence dietary intake among adolescents.
Although watching TV during family meals was associated

Table 3. Median Daily Servings from Food Groups by Family Meal Habits (Girls)

Unadjusted Analysis
Median Daily
Servings
Fruit
Vegetables
Dark green/yellow
vegetables
Calcium rich food
Grains
Soft drinks
Fried food
Snack food
Calories

Adjusted Analysis*

Family
Meals, No TV
2.2
1.6
0.54

Family
Meals, TV
2.2
1.5
0.47

No Family
Meals
1.7
1.1
0.36

P Value
.001
.001
.001

Family
Meals, No TV
2.2
1.4
0.48

Family
Meals, TV
2.2
1.3
0.43

No Family
Meals
2.0
1.2
0.40

P Value
.002
.001
.003

2.9
5.5
0.87
0.44
2.3
2030

2.7
5.6
1.1
0.56
2.6
2157

2.2
4.7
1.2
0.50
2.2
1860

.001
.001
.001
.001
.014
.001

2.6
5.4
0.94
0.49
2.2
2139

2.5
5.3
1.0
0.54
2.2
2240

2.3
5.1
1.3
0.56
2.4
1969

.001
.020
.001
.001
.002
.001

*adjusted for socioeconomic status (SES), school level, race, weekly hours watching TV, caloric intake
,,
superscripts indicate statistically significant differences when different from each other, P .05

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Feldman et al/TEENS WHO AVOID TV DURING FAMILY MEALS HAVE HIGHER DIET QUALITY

with a lower quality diet than not watching TV during meals,

findings also revealed that boys and girls watching TV during
regular family meals are more likely to report a more healthful
diet than adolescents who do not eat regular family meals. In
general, when families eat together, parents have the opportunity to influence what is served at meals. Families who
choose to eat together may be more likely to try to prepare
well-balanced, nutritious meals compared to adolescents eating on their own who may rely on prepackaged convenience
food for meals, often lacking in fruits and vegetables. Additionally, when families eat together less frequently, parents
may not have the opportunity to observe their adolescents
eating behaviors and may be unaware of dietary inadequacies.
When the family eats together more frequently, even if the
TV is on, parents can observe what their adolescent is consuming. Adolescent girls not participating in family meals
were found to have significantly lower calorie intakes than
girls eating family meals with or without watching TV. There
was a similar trend among adolescent boys. One possible
explanation for these findings is that adolescents not frequently participating in family meals may be at increased risk
for engaging in chronic dieting, binge eating, and unhealthful
weight control behaviors,29 including restricting behaviors.
Adolescents not participating in family meals may also be
more likely to underreport caloric intake and have greater
difficulty accurately remembering portion sizes and food consumed than adolescents participating in family meals. Overall,
study findings provide clear evidence for the role of the family
meal in enhancing dietary quality among adolescents.
In some situations, it may be possible for TV to play a
helpful role in increasing participation in family meals. Some
adolescents cite a dissatisfaction with family relationships as a
reason for not participating in family meals.4 Adolescents
unhappy with family relationships may be more likely to
participate in family meals if the TV is on and conversation
isnt the main focus. Therefore, it is possible that TV may be
able to play the role of initially bringing families together for
meals without causing additional strain on family relationships, but still allowing for nutritional benefits of family meals
compared to not eating together.
This study has several strengths that enhance the ability
to draw conclusions from the findings. The large, socioeconomically and ethnically diverse study sample enhances the
ability to make generalizations to diverse adolescent populations. The study was also strengthened by the use of a
comprehensive survey instrument to assess dietary habits of
adolescents, including measures to assess both family meal
patterns and TV viewing during meal times. Study limitations should be taken into account when interpreting results. All variables were assessed via self-report; therefore,
the possibility of social desirability, recall, or response bias
was introduced. While the YAQ is a widely used, validated
tool for assessing dietary intake among adolescents, it is not
without limitations. Potential limitations may arise when
using the YAQ in an ethnically diverse population, with
one study showing lower validity among African-American
adolescents,30 which compose 19% of the study population.

Finally, because of the cross-sectional and observational

nature of the study, a causal relationship between family
meals and dietary intake cannot be established.

IMPLICATIONS
Findings from the current study support results of previous
studies suggesting that regular family meals are associated
with improved dietary quality among adolescents.1-3 The
findings revealed the most healthful diets, with highest
intakes of fruits and vegetables and lowest intakes of soft
drinks and fried food, were seen among adolescents eating
family meals without watching TV. Yet, eating as a family,
even with the TV on, appears to be beneficial, as adolescents reporting watching TV during regular family meals
were found to have a more healthful diet compared to
adolescents not eating regular family meals. Based on findings from the current study and previous studies,1-3,9 dietitians and other health care providers should make efforts to
work with adolescents and families to increase the overall
frequency of family meals. In working with families, practitioners should encourage turning the TV off as often as
possible to maximize the benefits of the family meal.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Support for this project came from grant MCJ-270834 (Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, principal investigator) from the Bureau of Maternal and Child Health (Title V, Social Security
Act), Health Resources and Services Administration, Department of Health and Human Services, US Public Health
Service, through funds from the Leadership Education in Adolescent Health (LEAH) Fellowship Training Program, University of Minnesota (grant 1-T71-MC00025-01, Maternal
and Child Health Bureau, DHHS), and from the General
Mills Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition.

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2007 JNEB Best Article Award Goes to Tom Baranowski

Congratulations to Dr Tom Baranowski, winner of the 2007 JNEB Best Article Award for:
Baranowski T, Missaghian M, Broadfoot A, Watson K, Cullen K, Nicklas T, Fisher J, Baranowski
J, ODonnell S. Fruit and vegetable shopping practices and social support scales: A validation. J
Nutr Educ Behav. 2006; 39:340-351.
Dr. Baranowski is Professor of Pediatrics, Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, at the
Childrens Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston.
The Society for Nutrition Education sponsors the annual JNEB Best Article Award, consisting of
$1000 and a commemorative plaque to the lead author of the winning article.