Exploration of parent-reported family meal dinner characteristics to inform a definition of family meals.

Objective: To examine parent-reported key family meal characteristics to advance the conceptualization of how parents perceive family meals to inform public health interventions and clinical practice.

Design: Cross-sectional study design using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and online survey data from a racially and ethnically diverse population.

Participants: Parent/child dyads (N = 631) with children ages 5-9 years old from diverse, low-income households.