CASA* and TV Land/Nick at Nite Report Shows Frequent Family Dinners Cut Teens' Substance Abuse Risk in Half

CASA* and TV Land/Nick at Nite Report Shows Frequent Family Dinners Cut Teens' Substance Abuse Risk in Half

Teens Who Have Frequent Family Dinners Also Likelier to Get Better Grades in School

Teens and Their Parents Desire More Frequent Family Dinners

NEW YORK, Sept. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- How often a family eats dinner together is a powerful indicator of whether a teen is likely to smoke, drink or use drugs and whether the teen is likely to perform better academically, according to a new report from The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University and sponsored by TV Land and Nick at Nite's Family Table. The study -- The Importance of Family Dinners II -- also reveals that teens and their parents wish they could have dinner together more often. Findings in The Importance of Family Dinners II draw from CASA's 10th annual back-to-school survey, conducted earlier this year.

This year, 58 percent of teens report having dinner with their families at least five times a week, a substantial increase from the 47 percent of teens having five or more family dinners in a typical week in 1998, when CASA first measured the relationship between family dinners and teen substance abuse risk. In those families that have fewer than three dinners in a typical week, however, more than half of teens and virtually all parents desire more frequent family dinners.

Family Dinners and Teen Smoking, Drinking, Drug Use

Frequent family dining is associated with lower rates of teen smoking, drinking and drug use. Compared to teens who have five or more family dinners per week, those who have two or less are:

- Three times likelier to try marijuana; - Two and a half times likelier to smoke cigarettes; - More than one and a half times likelier to drink alcohol.

Teens who dine infrequently with their families are also likelier to have friends who use drugs. Compared to teens who have five or more family dinners per week, those who have two or less are:

- Three times likelier to report that half or more of their friends use marijuana; - Twice as likely to know a friend or classmate who uses Ecstasy; - Nearly 80 percent likelier to know a friend or classmate who abuses prescription drugs; - Forty percent likelier to know a friend or classmate who uses acid, cocaine or heroin.

"There are no silver bullets -- unfortunately, the tragedy of a child's substance abuse can strike any family; but one factor that does more to reduce teens' substance abuse risk than almost any other is parental engagement, and one of the simplest and most effective ways for parents to be engaged in their teens' lives is by having frequent family dinners," said Joseph A. Califano, Jr., CASA's chairman and president and former U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. "If I could wave a magic wand to make a dent in the substance abuse problem, I would make sure that every child in America had dinner with his or her parents at least five times a week," said Califano. "There is no more important thing a parent can do. Parental engagement in children's lives is the key to ridding our nation of the scourge of substance abuse."

"The benefits that come from family dining are endless," states Larry W. Jones, President, TV Land and Nick at Nite. "This study, once again, shows us the emotional and social benefits that come from taking the time to sit down and share a meal as a family. From lessening the risk of substance abuse to increasing the likelihood of academic success, this is a serious wake-up call to parents across the country to make the time and to stay engaged."

Family Dinners and Academic Performance

Teens who have frequent family dinners are likelier to get better grades in school, and higher academic performance is associated with lower substance abuse risk.

Teens who have dinner with their families seven times a week are almost 40 percent likelier to say they receive mostly A's and B's in school compared to teens who have dinner with their families two or fewer times a week, and this is associated with lower substance abuse risk: Teens who typically receive grades of C or lower are at twice the risk of substance abuse as those receiving all A's or mostly A's and B's.

What's Going On At The Family Dinner Table

This report's findings paint a picture of infrequent family dinners as lower-quality dinners: Compared to teens who have five or more family dinners per week, teens who have fewer than three family dinners per week are likelier to say that they dine with the television on, their families talk little during dinner, and their family dinners do not last long enough.

- Teens who dine with their families fewer than three times per week are 32 percent likelier to dine with the television on, compared to teens who have five to seven family dinners per week. - Teens who dine with their families fewer than three times per week are almost one and one -- half times likelier to say there is not much talking at the dinner table, compared to teens who have five to seven family dinners per week. - Teens who dine with their families fewer than three times per week are more than twice as likely to say that their family dinners do not last long enough, compared to teens who have five to seven family dinners per week.

Topics that most teens say they discuss at the family table include: school and sports (86 percent), friends and social activities (76 percent) current events (63 percent) and family issues or problems (58 percent). Topics that most teens wish they could honestly discuss with their parents during mealtime include: religious matters (51 percent) and curfews (51 percent). A substantial number of teens would also like to talk with their parents about peer pressure (44 percent), dating (42 percent) and substance abuse (38 percent).

Family Relationships and Mealtime

More than one in four teens live in households where families share frequent dinners, say their parents are very or fairly proud of them, have low levels of tension or stress at home, and have a parent in whom they can confide. These teens are at half the substance abuse risk of the average teen.

- Nearly 70 percent of teens who eat dinner with their parents five to seven times a week say that their parents are very proud of them, compared to 48 percent of teens who have family dinners two times a week or less. - Nearly one in five teens who have family dinners two times a week or less report that there is a great deal of tension or stress at home between family members, compared to seven percent of teens who have at least five family dinners per week. - Teens who have frequent family dinners are likelier than those who have infrequent family dinners to say they would turn to one or both of their parents if they had a serious problem. Teens who can confide in their parents are at much lower risk for substance abuse than teens who would confide in another adult or who have no adult in whom to confide.

"This nation's drug problem is all about kids. A child who gets through age 21 without smoking, abusing alcohol or using illegal drugs is virtually certain never to do so. America's drug problem is not going to be solved in courtrooms, legislative hearing rooms or classrooms, by judges, politicians or teachers. It will be solved in living rooms and dining rooms and across kitchen tables -- by parents and families," Califano concluded.

QEV Analytics conducted The National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse X: Teen and Parents for CASA from April 7 through June 4. The firm interviewed at home by telephone 1,000 teens (503 boys, 497 girls) and 829 parents (282 of whom were parents of interviewed teens). Sampling error is +/-3.1 percent for teens, +/-3.4 percent for parents.

CASA and TV Land and Nick at Nite's Family Table: Share More Than Meals -- Classic TV's very first pro-social initiative -- are encouraging Americans to commit to eating dinner together as a family on Family Day -- A Day To Eat Dinner With Your Children on Monday, September 26, 2005. Visit http://www.familytable.info/ to pledge to have dinner as a family on Family Day. CASA developed Family Day in 2001 as a national effort to promote parental engagement as a simple, effective way to reduce youth substance abuse and raise healthier children. For more information, visit http://www.casafamilyday.org/.

TV Land & Nick at Nite's Family Table: Share More Than Meals was created by the two networks in 2003 and seeks to remind its viewers about the emotional and social benefits that come from taking the time to sit down and share with one another. Through a series of promotional spots -- which both networks air in regular rotation daily -- TV Land and Nick at Nite have committed over $11 million in on-air time annually to encourage viewers to experience the benefits of dining together.

TV Land, Nick at Nite and all related logos and titles are trademarks of Viacom International, Inc.

Now in more than 88 million U.S. homes, Nick at Nite was founded in 1985 as the evening and overnight companion to Nickelodeon. The network, one of cable's highest-rated among such coveted demos as Adults 18-49, Women 18-49, Adults 18-34 and African Americans, 18-49 showcases celebrated and timeless modern sitcoms as well as original programming. All programming presented on Nick at Nite meets he network's "Four Fs" programming strategy -- shows which are Family-Friendly, Funny and Familiar. In addition to the network's modern classics such as Roseanne, The Cosby Show and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Nick at Nite also showcases original shows including: Fatherhood, based on Bill Cosby's best-selling 1986 book of the same name, which is an animated and comic look at the challenges faced by a busy, modern Family, the Bindlebeeps; Nick at Nite's Search for the Funniest Mom in America, an annual talent showcase in which the winning mom -- this year's winner was Darlene Westgor of Burnsville, Minnesota -- wins $50,000 and a development deal for her own Nick at Nite show; and Hi-Jinks, a hidden camera show in which adults play good-natured pranks on kids. For more information about Nick at Nite, log onto Nick http://www.nickatnite.com/.

Now seen in over 85 million U.S. homes and throughout Canada, TV Land presents popular dramas, sitcoms, westerns, Retromercials and original programming, all packaged in a unique, award-winning on-air environment. The network celebrates all things Classic TV with a specific viewer in mind: the first generation of people to grow up watching television. Known for its celebrated line-up of Classic TV ranging from I Love Lucy to Little House on the Prairie, TV Land has made its mark with clever, critically-acclaimed original programming, developed by TV Land Productions, which was created in 2003. Complementing the network's hit roster of programming includes such hits as the annual TV Land Awards: A Celebration of Classic TV; an original special that reunited the cast of The Brady Bunch in 2004's Still Brady: After All These Years; Chasing Farrah, which follows the real-life happenings of iconic actress and sex symbol, Farrah Fawcett; as well as several other series and specials that enhance the overall Classic TV viewing experience. For more information about TV Land's originals, visit http://www.tvland.com/.

Ten Benefits of Frequent Family Dinners

The more often children and teens eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink and use drugs. Children and teens who have frequent family dinners:

- are at half the risk for substance abuse compared to teens who dine with their families infrequently - are less likely to have friends or classmates who use illicit drugs or abuse prescription drugs - have lower levels of tension and stress at home - are more likely to say that their parents are proud of them - are likelier to say they can confide in their parents - are likelier to get better grades in school - are more likely to be emotionally content and have positive peer relationships - have healthier eating habits - are at lower risk for thoughts of suicide - are less likely to try marijuana or have friends who use marijuana

Source: National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia Univ.

CONTACT: Rachel Lizerbram of TV Land-Nick at Nite, +1-212-846-4412; or Scott Acord of MTV Networks, +1-310-752-8075; or Richard Mulieri of CASA, +1-212-841-5260

Web site: http://www.casacolumbia.org/ http://www.tvland.com/ http://www.nickatnite.com/ http://www.familytable.info/ http://www.casafamilyday.org/

------- Profile: Ent