|
 Investigators focused on randomized controlled trials designed to
test whether a specific intervention can directly prevent obesity or
help children who are already obese lose weight.
Fathers accounted for just 6 percent of participants when only one
parent was allowed to join studies of pediatric obesity, the
researchers report in Pediatrics, online January 27. And when both
parents could participate, 92 percent of the studies didn't provide
objective data on fathers' involvement.
"Although fathers have a unique and powerful influence over their
children’s health and wellbeing, most research programs to date have
intentionally or unintentionally recruited mothers as they are more
likely to be the primary caregiver," said lead study author Philip
Morgan of the University of Newcastle in Australia.
"Of the limited research investigating the reasons why fathers are
less likely to participate in parenting programs, key barriers
appear to include competing work commitments, reduced awareness of
programs or their unique and important role, reluctance to
participate in ‘mother-dominated’ environments and a lack of
programs that are designed specifically for dads," Morgan added by
email.
For the current study, Morgan and colleagues analyzed 213 previously
published randomized controlled trials assessing behavioral
interventions to prevent or treat obesity in kids.
Even though fathers were largely absent from these studies, only
four reports mentioned the lack of dads as a limitation of the
research.
Just two studies reported explicit attempts to get more fathers to
participate.
More research is needed to fully understand how the absence of
fathers may influence the effectiveness of obesity interventions, or
how much adding dads to these studies might benefit kids, the
authors note.
It's possible that engaging fathers might also help encourage kids
to get more exercise because some previous research has shown dads
are generally more likely than mothers to initiate and facilitate
physical activity, Morgan said.
Plus, children tend to listen better when they get the same message
from both parents, Morgan added.
"In the obesity-promoting world we live in, it is also so much
easier for parents to positively influence their child’s behavior
when they are both on the same page," Morgan said. "When both
parents are modeling positive dietary and physical activity
behaviors, children are more likely to follow their lead."
[to top of second column] |
When mothers and fathers have different parenting styles and model
different lifestyle choices, children are less likely to adopt
healthy behaviors, said Jerica Berge, co-director of the Heathy
Eating and Activity across the Lifespan Center at the University of
Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Fathers and mothers often perceive children's weight and behaviors
differently, which can also affect the outcome of research testing
obesity prevention or treatment programs, Berge, who wasn't involved
in the current study, added by email.
"Mothers and fathers report factors in the home environment
differently, like the frequency of family meals and conversations
about the child's weight," Berge said. "Thus, it would be important
to include both mothers and fathers in research on childhood
obesity."
The field of childhood obesity research is moving toward
family-based intervention and treatment, said Dr. Sandra Hassink,
medical director for the American Academy of Pediatrics Institute
for Childhood Weight and a researcher at Case Western Reserve
University in Cleveland, Ohio.
"The family is a system with a series of mutual interactions that
depends on a common understanding of the problem, the goals and the
process of treatment to be most effective," Hassink, who wasn't
involved in the current study, said by email. "Research including
fathers can only add to the effectiveness of treatment and
prevention."
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2jFEzTG
Pediatrics 2017.
[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
