CONTEXT:
Despite their important influence on child health, it is assumed that fathers are less likely than mothers to participate in pediatric obesity treatment and prevention research.
OBJECTIVE:
This review investigated the involvement of fathers in obesity treatment and prevention programs targeting children and adolescents [0–18 years],
DATA SOURCES:
A systematic review of English, peer-reviewed articles across 7 databases, Retrieved records included at least 1 search term from 2 groups: “participants” (eg, child* parent*) and “outcomes”: (eg, obes* diet*).
STUDY SELECTION:
Randomized controlled trials [RCTs] assessing behavioral interventions to prevent or treat obesity in pediatric samples were eligible. Parents must have “actively participated” in the study
DATA EXTRACTION:
Two authors independently extracted data using a predefined template,
RESULTS:
The search retrieved 213 eligible RCTs. Of the RCTs that limited participation to 1 parent only (n = 80), fathers represented only 6% of parents. In RCTs in which participation was open to both parents (n = 133), 92% did not report objective data on father involvement, No study characteristics moderated the level of father involvement, with fathers underrepresented across all study types. Only 4 studies (2%) suggested that a lack of fathers was a possible limitation. Two studies (1%) reported explicit attempts to increase father involvement,
LIMITATIONS:
The review was limited to RCTs published in English peer-reviewed journals over a 10-year period,
CONCLUSIONS:
Existing pediatric obesity treatment or prevention programs with parent involvement have not engaged fathers. Innovative strategies are needed to make participation more accessible and engaging for fathers,
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