The ‘Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids’ randomized controlled trial: efficacy of a healthy lifestyle program for overweight fathers and their children

Abstract

The HDHK program resulted in significant weight loss and improved health-related outcomes in fathers and improved eating and physical activity among children. Targeting fathers is a novel and efficacious approach to improving health behavior in their children.

Involvement of Fathers in Pediatric Obesity Treatment and Prevention Trials: A Systematic Review

“…The Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids RCT from Australia was designed to treat overweight and obesity in fathers and prevent obesity in their children. 44 Compared with a control group, the program significantly improved weight status, physical activity, and diet for both fathers and children, 44,70 providing strong evidence for the utility of socioculturally relevant programs for fathers.…”

“…One of these was the only published RCT to target fathers and children exclusively. 44 The second was a preschool nutrition intervention that included 1 module in which fathers cooked with their children. 45 Only 4 studies (2%) suggested that a lack of father involvement was a possible study limitation or important area to address in future research.…”

Rough and tumble play quality: theoretical foundations for a new measure of father–child interaction

“…The preliminary coding schema was pilot-tested/trialled using a set of games designed for father-child physical interaction, applied in a father's weight-loss group setting (Morgan et al, 2010). The fathers and children (ages 5-12 years) were videotaped undertaking a number of rough and tumble games including Arm-Pull, Get-Up and Sock Wrestle.…”

Investigating the Relationship of Body Mass Index, Diet Quality, and Physical Activity Level between Fathers and Their Preschool-Aged Children

“…14 An illustration of this is provided by Morgan and colleagues 15 in which overweight fathers were targeted in a research program that resulted in significant weight loss for fathers in an intervention group. Fathers in the intervention groups significantly decreased their portion sizes 15,16 and increased their physical activity. 15,17 Although school-aged children were not the main target in that project, children of intervention fathers significantly reduced their energy intake 16 and increased their physical activity.…”

“…Fathers in the intervention groups significantly decreased their portion sizes 15,16 and increased their physical activity. 15,17 Although school-aged children were not the main target in that project, children of intervention fathers significantly reduced their energy intake 16 and increased their physical activity. 17 The increase in father physical activity accounted for 47% of the intervention effect, indicating that physical activity may be especially important in weight management for fathers, and thus perhaps their children if fathers influence their child's physical activity levels.…”