Eighth International Conference on Health, Wellness & Society

Abstract

A workshop (Hurt Pounds) for social workers/therapists (n=64) was held at Youngstown State University in June 2017. Hurt Pounds includes the emotional weight that we carry which may affect our interactions with others. It was important to determine whether the caregivers themselves were affected by these phenomena. A survey regarding wellness practices (including family meals), self-care behaviors and emotional characteristics was distributed. Analysis of variance was conducted to determine the relationships between family meal participation and healthy behaviors. Results indicate that this group was not at risk of an eating disorder (n=3, 5%) and that family meal participation was high (n=78%). However, family meal participation did not predict forgiveness, self-compassion, BMI body appreciation, acceptance or action. Research indicates that family meal participation promotes health and well-being (Skeer & Ballard, 2013, Larson 2008) as does social support (Lytle, 2017).