- Title
- The 'Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids' randomized controlled trial: efficacy of a healthy lifestyle program for overweight fathers and their children
- Creator
- Morgan, Philip J.; Lubans, D. R.; Callister, R.; Okely, A. D.; Burrows, T. L.; Fletcher, R.; Collins, C. E.
- Relation
- International Journal of Obesity Vol. 35, Issue 3, p. 436-447
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2010.151
- Publisher
- Nature Publishing Group
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2011
- Description
- Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of the ‘Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids’ (HDHK) program, which was designed to help overweight fathers lose weight and be a role model of positive health behaviors for their children. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Participants: A total of 53 overweight/obese men (mean (s.d.) age=40.6 (7.1) years; body mass index (BMI)=33.2 (3.9)) and their primary school-aged children (n=71, 54% boys; mean (s.d.) age=8.2 (2.0) years) were randomly assigned (family unit) to either (i) the HDHK program (n=27 fathers, n=39 children) or (ii) a wait-list control group (n=26 fathers, n=32 children). Intervention: Fathers in the 3-month program attended eight face-to-face education sessions. Children attended three of these sessions. Outcomes: The primary outcome was fathers’ weight. Fathers and their children were assessed at baseline, and at 3- and 6-month follow-up, for weight, waist circumference, BMI, blood pressure, resting heart rate (RHR), objectively measured physical activity and self-reported dietary intake. Results: Intention-to-treat analysis revealed significant between-group differences at 6 months for weight loss (P<0.001), with HDHK fathers losing more weight (−7.6 kg; 95% confidence interval (CI) −9.2, −6.0; d=0.54) than control group fathers (0.0 kg; 95% CI −1.4, 1.6). Significant treatment effects (P<0.05) were also found for waist circumference (d=0.62), BMI (d=0.53), systolic blood pressure (d=0.92), RHR (d=0.66) and physical activity (d=0.91), but not for dietary intake. In children, significant treatment effects (P<0.05) were found for physical activity (d=0.74), RHR (d=0.51) and dietary intake (d=0.84). Conclusion: 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.
- Subject
- weight loss; men; children; fathers; intervention
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/936959
- Identifier
- uon:12455
- Identifier
- ISSN:0307-0565
- Language
- eng
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