Research shows that children and moms benefit when dads are actively engaged in their kids’ health and development. A new study examines barriers that make it difficult for some fathers to be involved and how to overcome them.
This Sunday, families around the country will celebrate Father’s Day and pay tribute to the special caregivers in their lives. It’s a time when I find myself feeling especially grateful for all the positive ways my own father has influenced my life and the crucial role my husband plays in raising our daughters.
The study, Engaging Fathers in Early Obesity Prevention During the First 1,000 Days: Policy, Systems, and Environmental Change Strategies funded by RWJF’s national nutrition research program, Healthy Eating Research(HER), looked at ways to engage more fathers in programs and practices that could help prevent childhood obesity during a child’s earliest years. The study highlighted emerging evidence about the “unique role” fathers play in childhood obesity prevention.
One of the pieces of research it references to support this found that “increases in fathers’ participation in physical child care (e.g., giving the kids a bath and getting them dressed) and the frequency of taking children outside to walk/play (which dads tend to do more of than bathing/dressing activities) were associated with decreases in the odds of childhood obesity from age 2 to age 4.”
And, the benefits extend beyond physical health. According to a study highlighted by the National Institute for Children’s Health Quality, “when fathers are more engaged with their children, their children have better developmental outcomes ... including fewer behavioral problems and improved cognitive and mental health outcomes.”
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