The management of the home has been a central component of Home Economics since the early 1900s. It is, however, an enigmatic behavior that has not yielded easily to research. Recognizing that meal provision and food consumption by families incorporate management processes and occur on a regular and frequent basis, it was thought that it would be possible to focus on meal management as a step toward understanding resource management. Using time diary and questionnaire data collected in Utah as a part of Regional Research Project S-206, the objectives of this study were (1) to identify variables which may predict the management strategies and time expenditures of meal preparation in two-parent, two-child Utah families, and (2) to assess any changes in current meal patterns in two-parent, two-child families with those reported by Peterson (1979) in a comparable 1977 study. Guided by the Deacon and Firebaugh (1988) family systems perspective, stepwise multiple regression was used to identify predictor variables. It was found that homemaker's education was a statistically significant predictor of shopping frequency(+), frequency of use of a microwave oven(+), number of meals eaten together(+), and homemaker's time in food preparation and dishwashing (-). Seven additional variables, including urban/rural residence, homemaker's hours of employment, age of oldest child, age of youngest child, homemaker's age and a mean score on homemaker's self-reported management skills, were statistically significant predictors of selected management strategies and time expenditures in meal preparation. Decade comparisons revealed few changes of practical significance in meal patterns. The findings of the study were used to suggest hypotheses for further research in family resource management. / Graduation date: 1992

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