ACTGHS meals together, adults

Commentary

Respondents to the 2021 ACT General Health Survey aged 18 years and over were significantly more likely to report that during the past week, all family members living in the household ate a meal together every day (64.3%) than no days (6.1%), 1 to 3 days (12.2%) or 4 to 6 days (17.3%). In 2021, there was no significant difference between males and females in any of the household meals together categories. Respondents aged 18 to 24 years (17.6%) were significantly more likely to report that they ate no meals together in the past week than respondents aged 25 to 44 years (5.6%) and respondents aged 45 to 64 years (4.0%) and significantly less likely to report that they ate a meal together every day in 2021 (18 to 24 years: 27.3%; 25 to 44 years: 64.6%; 45 to 64 years: 65.1%; 65 years and over: 83.8%). Respondents aged 25 to 44 years were significantly less likely to report that they ate a meal together every day in the past week than respondents aged 65 years and over in 2021.

Respondents who reported that they live alone were excluded from analysis.

For the purpose of reporting the ACT General Health Survey data on HealthStats, if the 95% confidence intervals of the estimates do not overlap, they are considered to be significantly different.

Note: The indicator shows self-reported data collected through Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI). Estimates were weighted to adjust for differences in the probability of selection among respondents and were benchmarked to the estimated residential population using the latest available Australian Bureau of Statistics population estimates.

Data for meals together as a family are not collected every third year (i.e. 2019 and 2022).

Persons includes respondents who identified as male, female, other and those who refused to answer and may not always add to the sum of male and female.

The following estimates have a relative standard error between 25% and 50% and should be used with caution:

• 2020: respondents aged 18 to 24 years who ate meals together on no days and 4 to 6 days, respondents aged 65 years and over who ate meals together on no days, 1 to 3 days and 4 to 6 days
• 2021: respondents aged 18 to 24 years who ate meals together on no days and 1 to 3 days.

The following estimates have not been published due to small numbers or a relative standard error greater than 50%:

• 2020: respondents aged 18 to 24 years who ate meals together on 1 to 3 days
• 2021: respondents aged 65 years and over who ate meals together on no days, 1 to 3 days and 4 to 6 days.

Statistically significant differences are difficult to detect for smaller jurisdictions such as the Australian Capital Territory. Sometimes, even large apparent differences may not be statistically significant. This is particularly the case in breakdowns of small populations because the small sample size means that there is not enough power to identify even large differences as statistically significant.

Chart

Household meals together, 18 years and over, ACT General Health Survey, 2020-2021

Data

To access the data, select "View source data" link at the bottom of the visualisation. This link will open up a data table that you can download.

Codes and sources

Q. During the past 7 days, on how many days did all family members who live in the household eat a meal together?

Don't know and refused responses were excluded from analysis.

A copy of the ACT General Health Survey questionnaires can be found in Data collections.