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Assessing Commensality in Research

Author

Listed:
  • Henrik Scander

    (School of Hospitality, Culinary Arts and Meal Science, Örebro University, 712 02 Grythyttan, Sweden)

  • Agneta Yngve

    (Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Studies, Uppsala University, 751 22 Uppsala, Sweden
    School of Health Sciences, Örebro University, 702 81 Örebro, Sweden)

  • Maria Lennernäs Wiklund

    (Department of Public Health and Sports Science, University of Gävle, 801 76 Gävle, Sweden)

Abstract

This scoping review focuses on the assessment of commensality in research and attempts to identify used methods for performing research on commensality. It reflects a multidisciplinary research field and draws on findings from Web of Science Core Collection, up to April 2019. The empirical material consisted of 61 studies, whereof most were qualitative research, and some were of quantitative character, including very few dietary surveys. The findings show nine papers categorized as using quantitative approaches, 52 papers were categorized as qualitative. The results show a wide variety of different ways to try to find and understand how commensality can be understood and identified. There seems to be a shift in the very concept of commensality as well as some variations around the concept. This paper argues the need to further investigate the importance of commensality for health and wellbeing, as well as the need to gather data on health and health-related behaviors, living conditions and sociodemographic data in parallel. The review shows the broad-ranging areas where commensality is researched, from cultural and historical areas to ethnographic or anthropological areas over to dietary assessment. To complement large dietary surveys with methods of assessing who you are eating with in what environment should be a simple way to further our knowledge on the circumstances of meal intake and the importance of commensality. To add 24-h dietary recall to any study of commensality is another way of identifying the importance of commensality for dietary quality. The use of mixed methods research was encouraged by several authors as a good way forward in the assessment of commensality and its importance.

Suggested Citation

  • Henrik Scander & Agneta Yngve & Maria Lennernäs Wiklund, 2021. "Assessing Commensality in Research," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-22, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:5:p:2632-:d:511500
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Belon, Ana Paula & Nieuwendyk, Laura M. & Vallianatos, Helen & Nykiforuk, Candace I.J., 2016. "Perceived community environmental influences on eating behaviors: A Photovoice analysis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 18-29.
    2. Elisabeth Vesnaver & Heather H. Keller & Olga Sutherland & Scott B. Maitland & Julie L. Locher, 2016. "Alone at the Table: Food Behavior and the Loss of Commensality in Widowhood," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 71(6), pages 1059-1069.
    3. Agneta Yngve & Nicklas Neuman & Irja Haapala & Henrik Scander, 2021. "The Project Collection Food, Nutrition and Health, with a Focus on Eating Together," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-4, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. Håkan Jönsson & Maxime Michaud & Nicklas Neuman, 2021. "What Is Commensality? A Critical Discussion of an Expanding Research Field," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(12), pages 1-17, June.
    2. Henrik Scander & Maria Lennernäs Wiklund & Agneta Yngve, 2021. "Assessing Time of Eating in Commensality Research," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-13, March.
    3. Maína Ribeiro Pereira-Castro & Adriano Gomes Pinto & Tamila Raposo Caixeta & Renata Alves Monteiro & Ximena Pamela Díaz Bermúdez & Ana Valéria Machado Mendonça, 2022. "Digital Forms of Commensality in the 21st Century: A Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(24), pages 1-22, December.

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