Father-Focused Childhood Obesity Prevention Interventions: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Father-focused childhood obesity prevention interventions are emerging as novel strategies to tackle increasing childhood obesity rates. This scoping review aimed to describe the characteristics of these interventions and their participants to identify knowledge gaps and improve future interventions. A search for eligible interventions was conducted in MEDLINE (Ovid), Web of Science, and CINAHL (EBSCO) between 2023 and 2024 without date or geographic restrictions. Data were extracted using a tool developed for this review and analyzed using content analysis. Fourteen unique interventions were identified and were all conducted in developed Western countries (n = 14). Most were implemented between 2015 and 2019 (n = 9) in community settings (n = 13) and were feasibility and efficacy trials (n = 11). Most interventions targeted elementary school–aged (6–10 years) (n = 8) and middle school–aged (11–13 years) children (n = 8), followed by preschool–kindergarten–aged children (2–5 years) (n = 7); none targeted high school–aged children (14–17 years). Most interventions targeted physical activity parenting (n = 14) and sedentary behavior parenting (n = 13), with less focus on food parenting (n = 11) and sleep parenting (n = 0). Fathers from nontraditional families and racial/ethnic minority groups were underrepresented and underreported. Our findings underscore the need to increase the emphasis on food and sleep parenting in father-focused interventions and to include fathers from diverse backgrounds to address health disparities.