Helping children to cultivate healthy eating, exercise, and screen-time habits is a vital public health goal worldwide. This is because the habits formed early in life often continue into adulthood and significantly impact the risk of chronic diseases like Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Unfortunately, many Canadian children are not developing healthy habits early on. National data indicates that 70 percent of children aged four to eight do not meet the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables, and nearly 80 percent of children ages three to four exceed recommended screen time. Because children’s health habits begin in early life and are shaped by their family environment, involving parents in health promotion is crucial.
However, fathers are often absent from this process. A 2017 review of family-based health interventions revealed that fathers accounted for only six percent of all parent participants. New research highlights the critical role fathers play in shaping children’s health behaviors. International studies have shown links between fathers’ eating and activity habits and those of their children, indicating the significant influence of fathers’ modeling. Research with families in the Guelph Family Health Study showed that when fathers modeled healthy eating, it contributed to their children’s healthier diets, underscoring fathers’ unique role. Given the important influence fathers have on developing their children’s health behaviors, including them in health-promotion campaigns is essential. Studies suggest that involving both parents yields better outcomes in children than focusing only on mothers. Despite more men being involved, women still manage most household and family responsibilities in Canada. Canadian women typically spend one more hour per day than men on unpaid household chores, like caring for kids and preparing meals.
By focusing only on mothers in health-promotion efforts, we may unintentionally reinforce unfair gender norms and practices, like the idea that providing healthy food is “women’s work.” This could also lead to less effective family interventions, as families might not adopt and maintain changes that reinforce these inequalities. It’s crucial to involve fathers in family-based research to ensure public health interventions are informed by those with fathering experience. We recently held a conference with international experts, students, health professionals, and community members to identify effective ways to involve fathers in family health and obesity-related research.
Recommendations include specifically targeting fathers in recruitment efforts. Research indicates that fathers are interested in child health studies but often don’t take part because they feel they haven’t been specifically invited. Researchers should use terms like “father” or “dad” instead of general terms like “families” or “parents” when recruiting for studies. It’s also important for researchers and public health professionals to respect the diversity among fathers and families, incorporating different cultural traditions and acknowledging that fatherhood can vary with age, ethnicity, location, sexual orientation, country of origin, and socioeconomic, marital, and custodial status.