Background: Recent work indicates fathers’ parenting behaviours contribute to the development of children’s dietary behaviours and subsequent weight outcomes. Understanding fathers’ perceptions of their effectiveness to influence these behaviours will allow the development of successful family-based interventions promoting obesity protective behaviours. This study examined: 1) tracking of paternal self-efficacy for promoting healthy dietary behaviours in young children, and 2) associations between paternal self-efficacy and young children’s dietary intakes.
Methods: Fathers (n=195) from the Extended Infant Feeding Activity and Nutrition Trial Program reported self-efficacy for promoting healthy dietary behaviours at child age 4 and 36 months. Multinomial logistic regression examined self-efficacy tracking categories (persistently high; persistently low; increasing; decreasing) by paternal age, education and BMI. Linear regression examined associations between paternal self-efficacy tracking categories and child dietary intakes at 36 months.
Results: Paternal self-efficacy for promoting children’s healthy dietary behaviours reduced over time. Fathers with trade/certificate or university qualifications had lower odds of having persistently low/decreasing self-efficacy (97% and 87% lower respectively) compared to high-school educated fathers. Positive associations (β (95% CI)) were observed between paternal self-efficacy category and children’s dietary intakes at 36 months: increasing self-efficacy and fruit (β89.8 (6.8; 172.7)), and vegetables (β39.2 (12.2; 66.2)); persistently high self-efficacy and water (β69.1 (2.9; 135.1)); decreasing self-efficacy and non-core drinks ((β30.1 (10.1; 50.1)). Persistently high self-efficacy was negatively associated with non-core drinks (β-20.2 (-34.8; -5.5)), with negative associations observed between decreasing self-efficacy and children’s intakes of fruit (β-49.9 (-87.5; -12.3)), vegetables (β-19.9 (-31.7; -8.2)) and water (β-92.4 (-172.6; -12.3)).
Conclusions: Higher and/or sustained paternal self-efficacy is associated with fathers’ education and is important in promoting children’s healthy dietary behaviours. Associations between paternal self-efficacy and children’s dietary intakes are present at a young age. Future interventions should consider maintaining and improving paternal self-efficacy to promote obesity protective behaviours from an early age.