Department of Food, Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
Department of Management, BSS, MAPP Centre for Research on Value Creation in the Food Sector, Aarhus University, Aarhus V, Denmark.
J Hum Nutr Diet. 2023 Oct;36(5):1795-1810. doi: 10.1111/jhn.13179. Epub 2023 May 9.
Childhood obesity rates have been rapidly increasing worldwide. Several actions to reduce this trend have addressed maternal feeding practices. However, research reports an unwillingness to taste healthful foods expressed by children and fathers, which represents a major obstacle to a healthy diet in the family household. The present study aims to propose and qualitatively evaluate an intervention to increase fathers' involvement with their families' healthy eating through exposure to new/disliked healthy foods.
Fifteen Danish families took part in a 4-week online intervention involving picture book reading, a sensory experience session and the cooking of four recipes with four targeted vegetables (celeriac, Brussels sprouts, spinach and kale) and two spices (turmeric and ginger). Interviews were conducted with the families and the content was analysed through a blended or abductive approach.
Participating in the activities motivated children and fathers to try new vegetables and spices, and increased fathers' sense of self-efficacy toward cooking, tasting new foods and healthy feeding. For the family, the intervention acted as a trigger to consume a higher variety of vegetables and spices and prompted feelings of "food joy". The outcomes observed are of importance considering the relatively low cost and the remote approach of the intervention.
The results highlight the fact that fathers play an important role in the home food environment. We conclude that fathers should be included to a higher extent in food and nutrition strategies aimed at promoting healthy weight development in their children.
儿童肥胖率在全球范围内迅速上升。为了降低这一趋势，已经采取了一些措施来解决母亲的喂养方式问题。然而，研究报告显示，儿童和父亲不愿意品尝健康食品，这是家庭饮食健康的一个主要障碍。本研究旨在提出并定性评估一项干预措施，通过接触新的/不喜欢的健康食品，增加父亲对家庭健康饮食的参与度。
15 个丹麦家庭参与了为期 4 周的在线干预，包括阅读图画书、感官体验课程以及用四种目标蔬菜（欧防风、抱子甘蓝、菠菜和羽衣甘蓝）和两种香料（姜黄和生姜）烹饪四道菜。对家庭进行了访谈，并通过混合或推断的方法对内容进行了分析。
参与活动激发了儿童和父亲尝试新蔬菜和香料的兴趣，并提高了父亲对烹饪、品尝新食物和健康喂养的自我效能感。对于家庭来说，干预措施促使他们消费更多种类的蔬菜和香料，并带来了“食物的快乐”的感觉。考虑到干预措施的成本相对较低且采用远程方式，观察到的结果具有重要意义。
研究结果强调了父亲在家中的饮食环境中扮演着重要角色。我们得出结论，应该更广泛地让父亲参与到旨在促进儿童健康体重发展的食品和营养战略中。
