An evaluation of African American fathers' perceptions and influences on child food choices and physical activity behaviors

....................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iv DEDICATION .................................................................................................................... v LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................. x LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ............................................................................................. xi CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................... 1 Purpose and Research Questions .................................................................................. 10 Conceptual Framework ................................................................................................. 11 Limitations .................................................................................................................... 13 Significance................................................................................................................... 13 Definitions..................................................................................................................... 14 CHAPTER II – REVIEW OF LITERATURE ................................................................. 15 Child Characteristics and Risk Factors for Overweight ............................................... 16 Child Dietary Intake .................................................................................................. 16 Physical Inactivity ..................................................................................................... 20 Media Use, Sedentary Behavior, and Influences on Dietary Intake and Weight Status ................................................................................................................................... 23 Parental Influences on Child Weight Status ................................................................. 27 Food Availability ...................................................................................................... 28 vii Nutritional Knowledge.............................................................................................. 30 Parenting Styles and Child Feeding Practices .......................................................... 33 Authoritarian feeding style ad child weight status ................................................ 34 Authoritarian feeding style and self-regulation of food intake. ............................ 37 Permissive feeding style and child weight status .................................................. 39 Authoritative feeding ............................................................................................ 41 Parental Monitoring of Child TV Viewing and Sedentary Behavior ....................... 43 Parents’ Food Choices, Eating, and Modeling.......................................................... 47 Parent Physical Activity Behaviors .......................................................................... 53 CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY ................................................................................. 59 Design ........................................................................................................................... 59 Setting and Participants................................................................................................. 59 Setting ....................................................................................................................... 59 Participants ................................................................................................................ 61 Sample Size ............................................................................................................... 61 Data Collection Tools and Instruments......................................................................... 62 Demographic and Anthropometric Data ................................................................... 63 Focus Group Questions ............................................................................................. 63 Data Collection Procedures ........................................................................................... 65 Data Analysis and Interpretation .................................................................................. 66 viii CHAPTER IV – MANUSCRIPT ONE ............................................................................ 68 Methodology ................................................................................................................. 71 Setting and Participants............................................................................................. 71 Data Collection Tools and Instruments..................................................................... 73 Data Collection Procedures ....................................................................................... 73 Data Analysis and Interpretation .............................................................................. 75 Results ........................................................................................................................... 76 .Fathers’ eating .......................................................................................................... 77 Food Availability ...................................................................................................... 78 Parenting, Feeding Style, and Feeding Practices ...................................................... 79 Fathers’ Role Modeling ............................................................................................ 80 Nutritional Knowledge.............................................................................................. 80 Child Weight Status .................................................................................................. 81 Discussion ..................................................................................................................... 82 CHAPTER V – MANUSCRIPT TWO............................................................................. 88 Methodology ................................................................................................................. 92 Setting and Participants............................................................................................. 92 Data Collection Tools and Instruments..................................................................... 93 Data Collection Procedures ....................................................................................... 94 Data Analysis and Interpretation .............................................................................. 95 ix Results ........................................................................................................................... 96 Fathers’ Physical Activity and Encouragement of Child Physical Activity ............. 96 Monitoring TV and Sedentary Behavior................................................................... 97 Fathers’ Role Modeling ............................................................................................ 98 African American Culture and Physical Activity Parenting ..................................... 99 Discussion ................................................................................................................... 100 Implications............................................................................................................. 105 CHAPTER VI SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS .................................................. 106 APPENDIX A – Focus Group Questionnaire ................................................................. 109 APPENDIX B – IRB Approval Letter ............................................................................ 111 APPENDIX C – Demographic Questionnaire ................................................................ 112 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................... 116