Submitted to: Public Health Nutrition
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/17/2025
Publication Date: 3/17/2025
Citation: Jimenez-Garcia, J.A., Mâsse, L.C., Newton, Jr, R.L., Musaad, S.M., Beltran, A., O'Connor, T.M. 2025. Exploring profiles of fathers integrating food and physical activity parenting practices. Public Health Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980025000278.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980025000278

Interpretive Summary: In this study, we aimed to understand how different types of fathers influence their children's health through their food and physical activity parenting practices. We surveyed 606 fathers of children aged 5-11 in the US and identified five distinct profiles: Engaged Supporter Fathers, who are highly involved in both food and physical activities; Leveled Fathers, who take a balanced approach; Autonomy-Focused Fathers, who encourage their children's independence; Uninvolved Fathers, who are minimally involved; and Control-Focused Fathers, who exert significant control over their children's choices. We observed interesting differences between these profiles. For example, Engaged Supporter Fathers scored higher in co-parenting and household responsibilities compared to other profiles, indicating a more collaborative and involved approach in family dynamics. In contrast, Uninvolved Fathers showed minimal engagement in both food and physical activity practices and had the lowest scores in co-parenting and household responsibility, which could negatively impact their children's health and home environment. Control-Focused Fathers, while exerting significant control, may limit their children's autonomy, potentially affecting their ability to make independent health choices in the future. Our results suggest that these profiles may be influenced by factors such as race, ethnicity, child characteristics, co-parenting, and household responsibilities, but not by education level, income, or employment status. By understanding these profiles and their differences, we can create tailored interventions to support fathers in promoting healthier lifestyles for their children. This approach has the potential to improve children's health outcomes by addressing the specific needs and behaviors of different father profiles.

Technical Abstract: This study aimed to identify fathers' profiles integrating food parenting practices (FPP) and physical activity parenting practices (PAPP). The fathers completed the reduced FPP and PAPP item banks and sociodemographic and family dynamics (co-parenting and household responsibility) online questionnaires. We identified fathers' profiles via latent profile analysis. We explored the influence of social determinants, child characteristics, and family dynamics on fathers' profiles using multinomial logistic regression. We analyzed cross-sectional data from 606 fathers of 5-11-year-old children (age=38±8.0; Hispanic=37.5%). Most fathers self-identified as White (57.9%) or Black (17.7%); overweight (41.1%) or obese (34.8%); attended college (70%); earned >$47,000 (62.7%); worked 40 hrs/week (63.4%); and were biological fathers (90.1%). Most children (boys=55.5%) were 5-8 years old (65.2%). We identified five fathers' profiles combining FPP and PAPP: 1) Engaged Supporter Father (n=94 [15.5%]); 2) Leveled Father (n=160 [26.4%]); 3) Autonomy-Focused Father (n=117 [19.3%]); 4) Uninvolved Father (n=113 [18.6%]); 5) Control-Focused Father (n=122 [20.1%]). We observed significant associations with race, ethnicity, child characteristics, co-parenting, and household responsibility, but not with education level, annual income, or employment status. We observed significant pairwise differences between profiles in co-parenting and household responsibility, with the Engaged Supporter Father presenting higher scores in both measures. Understanding how fathers' FPP and PAPP interact can enhance assessments for a comprehensive understanding of fathers' influences on children's health. Recognizing the characteristics and differences among fathers' profiles may enable tailored interventions, potentially improving children's health trajectories.