Family Mealtimes in Hispanic Households: Associations of General Parenting Styles and Food Parenting Practices with Adolescent Food Group Intake

Background/Objectives: Hispanic adolescents experience disproportionately high rates of obesity and diet-related health risks, yet the family and parenting factors that shape their dietary behaviors remain incompletely understood. This study examined associations between parent sociodemographic characteristics and family meal frequency; among general parenting styles, food parenting practices, and family meal frequency; and between family meal frequency and adolescent intake across major USDA food groups, among Hispanic parent–adolescent dyads. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among 251 Hispanic parent–adolescent dyads (adolescents aged 10–17 years). Parents reported sociodemographic characteristics, general parenting styles (Comprehensive General Parenting Questionnaire), and food parenting practices (Comprehensive Feeding Practices Questionnaire). Adolescents self-reported dietary intake using the Youth/Adolescent Food Frequency Questionnaire. Family meal frequency was categorized as ≤2, 3–6, or ≥7 meals per week. Results: Older parents (p = 0.034) and married parents (p = 0.036) reported more frequent family meals than younger and unmarried parents. In adjusted multivariable models, more frequent family meals were associated with greater parental responsiveness (overall p = 0.009), involvement (overall p = 0.006), expectations (overall p = 0.047), monitoring (overall p = 0.037), and encouragement (overall p < 0.001). None of the five food group outcomes—dairy, fruit, grains, protein foods, or vegetables—showed a significant overall adjusted association with family meal frequency. Conclusions: Frequent family meals appear closely connected with supportive parenting practices among Hispanic adolescents, independent of sociodemographic characteristics, but were not independently associated with intake of any specific food group. Interventions to improve adolescent nutrition in Hispanic families may benefit from promoting both regular family meals and supportive food parenting practices.