Last updated on 28-6-2024 by Thérésa Lebacq
Why do we study ‘watching food during dinner’?
- When individuals watch TV or use other screen-based devices while eating, they are less likely to be mindful of their food, leading to potential overeating or eating too quickly, as they may not be fully aware of their body’s hunger and satiety signals.
- Among children, watching TV during meals has been linked to lower consumption of fruits and vegetables and higher consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks and foods high in fat and sugar.
- Among adolescents, watching TV during meals has been associated with lower overall diet quality with a lower intake of vegetables, calcium-rich food, and grains and a higher intake of soft drinks.
- The presence of a TV during family meals has also been found to be negatively associated with the nutritional quality intake and the emotional atmosphere of the meal.
- Implementing a ‘screen-free’ policy during meal times can promote healthier eating habits and family bonding.
How do we do it?
- In 2022-2023, we asked parents of children (3 to 9 years) the question ‘How often does your child watch TV during dinner?’, and adolescents and adults ‘How often do you watch TV during dinner?’.
- In 2014-2015, we asked the same question, but only to parents of children (3 to 9 years).
- Answer options included: ‘Never’, ‘Rarely’, ‘Sometimes’, ‘Often’ and ‘Always’.
- To make it easier to interpret the results, the answer categories ‘Rarely’, ‘Sometimes’, ‘Often’ and ‘Always’ have been grouped and the proportion of individuals never watching TV during dinner is presented.
Key results
In Belgium, almost half of the population (48%) never and 16% always watch TV during dinner.
Young adults (18 to 39 years) are least likely to never watch TV during dinner (35%), while older adults (65 years and above) (56%) and children (52%) are most likely.
In the Belgian population aged 3 years and above, the proportion who never watch TV during dinner is the lowest in the low-educated group and increases with the level of education.
The proportion of the Belgian population aged 3 years and above who never watch TV during dinner is higher in Flanders compared to Wallonia
The proportion of children (3 to 9 years) who never watch TV during dinner decreased in Flanders from 64% in 2014-2015 to 57% in 2022-2023.
Age
Distribution of the Belgian population aged 3 years and above who watch TV during dinner, by age, Belgium: 2022-2023
- Crude = results weighted for season, age, sex, and socioeconomic status.
- Older adults (65 years and above) do not include institutionalised (including those in care homes) or hospitalised individuals, or those who could not be interviewed without assistance (e.g., individuals with dementia).
- In Belgium, almost half of the population (48%) never watches TV during dinner, 13% rarely, 13% sometimes, 11% often, and 16% always watch TV during dinner.
- The proportion of individuals who never watch TV during dinner is lower in young adults (18 to 39 years) (35%) compared to all other age groups, while it is higher in older adults (65 years and above) (56%) compared to adolescents (48%), young adults (35%) and middle-aged adults (48%).
- The proportion of individuals who always watch TV during dinner is lower in children (9%) and adolescents (8%) compared to young adults (17%), middle-aged adults (17%), and older adults (21%).
- The frequency of watching TV during dinner shows no differences by sex, except in older adults (65 years and above), where the proportion of women never watching TV (59%) tends to be higher than in men (52%).
- The proportion of individuals sometimes or rarely watching TV during dinner is lower in older adults (7%) compared to all other age groups.
Level of education
Distribution of the Belgian population aged 3 years and above who watch TV during dinner, by level of education, Belgium: 2022-2023
- Crude = results weighted for season, age, sex, and socioeconomic status.
- The education level is calculated at the household level by considering the highest diploma obtained by: (i) the respondents or their partner for adults (aged 18 years and above), or (ii) the father and mother (or carer, if applicable) for children and adolescents (aged 3 to 17 years). However, for simplicity, we refer to the education level of individuals rather than the education level of their households.
- There is an association between the level of education and watching TV during dinner.
- In the Belgian population aged 3 years and above, fewer individuals from the low-educated group never watch TV during dinner (44%) compared to those from the mid-educated (50%) and high-educated group (53%).
- The proportion of individuals who always watch TV during dinner is different and decreases from the low-educated to the high-educated group (low-educated group (22%), the mid-educated (14%) and the high-educated group (6%).
Region
Distribution of the Belgian population aged 3 years and above who watch TV during dinner, by region, Belgium: 2022-2023
- Crude = results weighted for the season, age, sex, and socioeconomic status.
- The proportion of the Belgian population aged 3 years and above who never watch TV during dinner is higher in Flanders (53%) compared to Brussels (40%) and Wallonia (40%).
- The proportion of the Belgian population aged 3 years and above who always watch TV during dinner is lower in Flanders (12%) compared to Brussels (19%) and Wallonia (22%).
- The proportion of the Belgian population aged 3 years and above who often watch TV during dinner is lower in Flanders (10%) compared to Wallonia (13%).
Year and region
Proportion of Belgian children aged 3 to 9 years who never watch TV during dinner, by year and region, Belgium: 2022-2023
- Adjusted = results weighted for the season, age, sex, and socioeconomic status, and adjusted according to age and sex based on linear regression model (using the Belgian population of 2022-2023 as reference).
- The proportion of children who never watch TV during dinner decreased from 57% in 2014-2015 to 52% in 2022-2023.
- This is due to a decrease in the proportion of children who never watch TV during dinner in Flanders from 64% in 2014-2015 to 57% in 2022-2023.
- No changes are observed in Brussels and Wallonia.
Please cite this page as: Sciensano. Food habits: Watching TV during dinner, Food Consumption Survey 2022-2023, June 2024, Brussels, Belgium, https://www.sciensano.be/en/results-food-consumption-survey-2022-2023/food-habits/watching-tv-during-dinner