Are fathers included in the obesity interventions of their children?
Though research shows that fathers impact their children’s eating habits and physical activity, a study published April 10 in Preventive Medicine suggests fathers are rarely included in family interventions that combat childhood obesity.
"This is concerning, given the strong influence fathers have on what their children eat," said co-author Jess Haines, PhD, with the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. "Fathers seem to have a unique influence on kids and their dietary habits, and we will miss out on this if we don't include them in our intervention work.”
Researchers from the University of Guelph and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health conducted a review of 85 family-based studies around the world to determine the representation of fathers in family interventions for obesity. They examined the characteristics that included fathers compared to those that only included mothers.
Across all interventions, fathers represented only 6 percent of parent participants. Father inclusion was more common in the interventions of elementary school-aged children.
"We know that family interventions are more effective if they include both parents,” said co-author Kirsten Davison, PhD, at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Cambridge, Massachusetts. “If fathers are largely missing from childhood obesity interventions, we are compromising our ability to improve children's weight outcomes.”
The studies included family-based interventions for childhood obesity prevention published between 2008 and 2015.
Of the studies used, 37 percent included mothers and fathers, 34 percent included only mothers, 1 percent included only fathers and 24 percent did not provide information on parent gender.
The researchers noted the study further emphasizes the lack of participation by fathers in obesity interventions and highlights a need to recruit and engage fathers of young children in prevention efforts. The researchers recommended steps such as partnering with organizations trusted by fathers and targeting “father-friendly venues,” including workplaces and social media outlets.
As a senior news writer for TriMed, Subrata covers cardiology, clinical innovation and healthcare business. She has a master’s degree in communication management and 12 years of experience in journalism and public relations.