Adolescent-Reported Latino Fathers' Food Parenting Practices and Family Meal Frequency Are Associated with Better Adolescent Dietary Intake.

Most studies of food-related parenting practices, parental meal involvement, and adolescent dietary intake have focused on maternal influences; studies of paternal influences, particularly among marginalized groups, are lacking. This study examined lower-income, Latino fathers' food parenting practices and involvement in planning meals, buying/preparing foods, and family meal frequency, separately and in combination, to identify relationships with adolescent food intake. Baseline data were used from Latino adolescents (10-14 years, n = 191, 49% boys) participating with their fathers in a community-based overweight/obesity prevention intervention. Fathers reported sociodemographic characteristics. Adolescents reported frequency of fathers' food parenting practices, fathers' food/meal involvement, and family meals and participated in 24 h dietary recalls. The analysis included regression models using GLM (generalized linear mixed model) and PLM (post GLM processing) procedures. Most fathers were married, employed full-time, and had annual incomes below USD 50,000. Favorable fathers' food parenting practices were associated with adolescent intake of more fruit and vegetables and fewer sugar-sweetened beverages, sweets/salty snacks, and less fast food (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01). No independent effects of family meal frequency or fathers' food/meal involvement were observed on adolescent dietary outcomes. Additional analyses showed favorable food parenting practices in combination with frequent family meals were associated with adolescents having a higher intake of fruit (p = 0.011). Latino fathers can have an important positive influence on adolescent dietary intake.

Latino adolescent-father discrepancies in reporting activity parenting practices and associations with adolescents' physical activity and screen time.

BACKGROUND: Latino fathers may play important roles in adolescents' physical activity and screen time. However, informant discrepancies regarding paternal activity parenting practices may challenge studies supporting evidence-based applications. This study examined Latino adolescent-father discrepancies in reporting paternal activity parenting practices, types of discrepancies by participant characteristics, and associations between discrepancy types and adolescents' physical activity and screen time. METHODS: The sample for this cross-sectional study included Latino early adolescents and their fathers (n = 138 dyads) from baseline data collected for a family-centered, healthy lifestyle intervention in a metropolitan area. In parallel measures, Latino adolescents and fathers reported paternal activity parenting practices related to expectation or allowance, behavioral modeling, and providing opportunities for physical activity or screen time. Level of agreement and discrepancies were examined using the percentage of agreement, weighted kappa statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients, and paired-sample t-tests. Undesirable discrepancy types included adolescents reporting lower scores for paternal physical activity parenting practices or higher scores for paternal screen time parenting practices than fathers. Participants' sociodemographic characteristics and weight status were compared by discrepancy type using between-group t-tests or Chi-square tests. Associations between discrepancy type and adolescents' physical activity and screen time were examined using multivariate regression analyses. RESULTS: The study sample was low-income with a high prevalence of overweight and obesity. Adolescent and paternal reports of activity parenting practices had poor agreement (percentages of agreement: 22.2-34.3%, weighted kappa statistics: < 0.2, and correlation coefficients: 0.06-0.25). An undesirable discrepancy type for certain parenting practices was more likely to be observed among fathers without full-time employment, girls, older adolescents, and adolescents and fathers within overweight or obese BMI categories. Discrepancies in paternal expectation regarding physical activity and allowance of screen time had adverse associations with adolescents' physical activity (ß = - 0.18, p = 0.008) and screen time (ß = 0.51, p <  0.001). CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Discrepancies in reporting activity parenting practices were evident between Latino adolescents and their fathers, especially among certain sociodemographic and weight status groups. Adolescents' perceptions on paternal parenting practices tended to be better indicators of their activity levels than fathers' reports.

Development of a Survey to Assess Latino Fathers' Parenting Practices Regarding Energy Balance-Related Behaviors of Early Adolescents.

Latino adolescents face challenges to performing energy balance-related behaviors (EBRBs) to prevent childhood obesity, including healthy dietary intake, adequate physical activity, and limited screen time. Fathers are underrepresented in family-based obesity interventions but could be influential in shaping the EBRBs of Latino children. Three types of parenting practices (setting expectations/limits, role modeling, managing availability and accessibility) have shown relatively consistent positive relationships with children's EBRBs in studies that have mostly involved mothers. The purpose of this study was to develop measures to assess Latino fathers' parenting practices based on existing measurement instruments, focus groups and cognitive testing. Criterion validity of the measures (40 items) was examined with Latino fathers and their early adolescents (10-14 years old, n = 96 dyads) who were predominantly from low-income, two-parent households. Criterion validity was indicated by significantly higher intakes of fruit and vegetables; lower intakes of sugar-sweetened beverages, sweets/salty snacks and fast foods; more weekly physical activity hours; and fewer daily screen time hours among adolescents who reported high versus low levels/frequencies of supportive parenting practices. In addition, nearly all scales of adolescent-reported paternal behavioral modeling and availability/accessibility practices were significantly correlated with adolescents' corresponding EBRBs (r = 0.22 to 0.54). However, poor validity and agreement with early adolescents' reports were found for most father-reported parenting practices. Overall, this study indicated that the measures were acceptable for assessing adolescents' report of Latino fathers' parenting practices around EBRBs. The findings also indicate the importance of including early adolescents' reports in measuring paternal parenting practices.

Latino Fathers' Perspectives and Parenting Practices Regarding Eating, Physical Activity, and Screen Time Behaviors of Early Adolescent Children: Focus Group Findings.

BACKGROUND: Involvement of Latino fathers in food and activity parenting practices has implications for child obesity prevention yet remains largely unknown. OBJECTIVE: To explore Latino fathers' perspectives and parenting experiences regarding early adolescents' eating, physical activity, and screen-time behaviors using the focus group method. DESIGN: Twenty-six fathers (primarily Mexican-American men) of 10- to 14-year-old children participated in one of four focus groups between March and October 2016. Focus groups were conducted in Spanish by male moderators. PARTICIPANTS/SETTINGS: A convenience sample was recruited from three community centers and one charter school in Minneapolis/St Paul, MN. ANALYSIS: Audiotaped focus groups were transcribed verbatim in Spanish and translated to English; transcripts were coded and analyzed for themes based on the grounded theory approach. RESULTS: Three themes emerged including 1) paternal beliefs and concerns about early adolescents' diet, physical activity, and screen time; 2) paternal food and activity parenting practices; and 3) factors that may influence paternal involvement in promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors. Father-reported food and activity parenting practices included setting expectations and limits, role modeling, managing availability and accessibility, teaching and reasoning, monitoring, motivating, and doing things together. Factors influencing paternal involvement were identified at intrapersonal, interpersonal, and social-environmental levels, which included paternal dietary and activity behaviors, self-efficacy, time and financial constraints, parental congruency, child resistance, perceived gender role, and environmental challenges. CONCLUSIONS: Fathers identified eight major food and activity parenting practices they use to promote a healthy lifestyle for their adolescent children and factors that influence their involvement. Health care professionals can use this information to provide culturally appropriate and specific interventions for Latino American fathers of young adolescents.

Can a healthy youth development clinic serving latino families be youth friendly and family oriented? A mixed-methods evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Parenting adolescents poses challenges that are exacerbated by immigration. Aqui Para Ti [Here for You] (APT) is a clinic-based, healthy youth development program that provides family-centered care for Latino youth and their families who are mostly immigrants from Mexico and Latin America. OBJECTIVES: To present the APT model of care and report the experiences of youth and their parents. SUBJECTS: APT patients between 11 and 24 years (n=30) and parents (n=15). Most youth patients were female, between 11 and 17 years, and from Mexico. Most parents were female, 40 years or younger, and from Mexico. METHODS: Youth participants completed a survey and participated in an individual semi-structured interview, and parent participants attended focus groups. Descriptive statistics summarized survey data. Interviews and focus groups were transcribed and analyzed in Spanish using content analysis by two independent coders. Quantitative and qualitative findings were integrated using side-by-side comparisons. Researchers not involved in the coding process contributed with the interpretation of the findings. RESULTS: Youth and parents were satisfied with the services received at APT. Youth felt listened to by their providers (100%), felt they could trust them (100%) and valued comprehensive care. Eighty-seven percent reported that their experiences at APT were better than at other clinics. Parents valued the family parallel care, confidentiality, family-centeredness, and the cultural inclusivity of the APT services. CONCLUSION: Patients and parents were satisfied with the services offered at APT. Family parallel care could be a positive alternative to deliver confidential and family-centered services to immigrant families.