Dear Editor,

I recently reviewed the article by Vepsäläinen et al. ^{(Reference Vepsäläinen, Lehto and Ruokolahti1)}, ‘Who needs family meals? The association between shared meals and dietary quality among Finnish children, fathers and mothers and found the study well executed. By underlining the role of paternal involvement in shared mealtimes, the study develops an understanding of how family eating practices shape dietary quality in preschool children and parents.

A major strength of this study is the involvement of different meal types (including weekdays and weekend meals) as one of the parameters that has not been considered before in nutrition research. This approach offers a clear understanding of family eating patterns. It is interesting to understand that weekend lunches significantly predict dietary quality in father–child pairs. The inclusion of fathers’ importance in mealtime further enhances the study’s contribution^{(Reference Berge, MacLehose and Loth2)}. Moreover, the use of a multidimensional healthy food intake index also allows for a more comprehensive evaluation of dietary quality.

The study has certain limitations when interpreting these findings. The cross-sectional design excludes that families who already emphasise healthier diets may also be more inclined to share meals. The small number of fathers and the selective sample limit how widely the findings can be applied^{(Reference Dallacker, Hertwig and Mata3)}. Additionally, the exclusion of preschool meals from the child FFQ may lead to an underestimation of dietary quality, which hinders direct comparisons between children and parents.

Beyond cross-sectional observations, longitudinal research methods may shed light on how these connections evolve over time^{(Reference Robson, McCullough and Rex4)}. Careful examination of mealtime dynamics, which include parental role modelling, family communication and the presence of media, may further explain the mechanisms through which shared meals contribute to healthier dietary practices. Such routine interactions appear to exert a meaningful influence on eating behaviours.

The study by Vepsäläinen et al. offers a valuable contribution to our understanding of family mealtime patterns, highlighting the potential influence of fathers and the relevance of weekend meals in supporting healthier dietary habits

Yours sincerely,

Dr. Shatavari Kulshrestha