ReviewInternational journal of environmental research and public health2021
What Is Commensality? A Critical Discussion of an Expanding Research Field.
Review in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed.
- Women's experiences of a medically supervised fasting intervention for infertility: a qualitative study.BMC women's health · 2026Trial
- Trial
- Studying factual versus social cues as triggers of change in food behaviour.Journal of nutritional science · 2024Trial
- Children's experiences of meals after obesity treatment: a qualitative follow-up four years after a randomized controlled trial.BMC pediatrics · 2022Trial
- A Scoping Review of Eating Behaviors Associated with Weight Status in Black American Adults.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2026Article
- Navigating School Meal Environments: Perspectives of Pupils Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder or ADHD.The Journal of school nursing : the official publication of the National Association of School Nurses · 2026Article
- Associations Among Living Alone, Eating Alone, and Depressive Symptoms: Evidence from a Nationwide Study of South Korean Adults.Nutrients · 2026Article
- Eating Together, Eating Alone: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Associations Between Social Eating Contexts, Mealtime Emotions, Technology Use, and Loneliness in UK University Students.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Welcoming and caring schools: a health-promoting schools analysis from a 2-year Canadian universal school lunch pilot.Health promotion international · 2026Article
- A Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer and International Society of Oral Oncology Clinical Practice Statement: Management of social eating and drinking challenges in adults with cancer.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Article
- Food and social connectedness for young people: an opportunity for public health.Perspectives in public health · 2026Article
- Family Support in Healthy Dietary Behaviours Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Scoping Review.Nutrients · 2026Article
- Interdepartmental Commensality: A Strategy for Increased Interdepartmental Collaboration.The western journal of emergency medicine · 2026Article
- Culinary memories, perceived barriers, and motivations for home cooking among younger and older adults in Spain: a qualitative cross-sectional study.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Article
- Food, Quality of Life and Mental Health: A Cross-Sectional Study with Federal Education Workers.Nutrients · 2025Article
- Sensing Sociality: Disruptions of Social Life When Living With Chemosensory Dysfunctions After COVID-19.Qualitative health research · 2025Article
- Social Eating Among Child and Adult Hospital Patients: A Scoping Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Migrant-Local Differences in the Relationship Between Oral Health, Social Support, and Loneliness Among Older Adults in Weifang, China: Cross-Sectional Study.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2025Article
- The value of social networks for men: concurrent and prospective associations with psychological wellbeing.BMC psychology · 2025Article
- Association between commensality practices and healthy food consumption in Primary Care: a cross-sectional study, Goiânia, 2022-2023.Epidemiologia e servicos de saude : revista do Sistema Unico de Saude do Brasil · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Commensality (the act of eating together) is studied in a range of disciplines and often considered important for social communion, order, health and well-being, while simultaneously being understood as in decline (especially the family meal). However, such claims are also contested in various ways. In this paper, we discuss the expanding field of commensality research and critically reflect on the debates surrounding its social functions, including its role in public health. We illuminate the deep social and cultural significance of commensality, through time and space, and conclude that whether or not commensality is the preferred social form of eating for any given individual, it is difficult to escape its sociocultural desirability and idealization. As a cross-cultural phenomenon in both past, present, and future, we suggest that commensality deserves further research. This includes commensality as a research topic in itself and as an entry point to unveil different dimensions of social relations between people, as well as interactions between humans and material objects.
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