Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Fathers' Food Parenting Practices and Children's Diets.

ABSTRACT: Racial and ethnic disparities in children's diets are prevalent. Little is known about how fathers' food parenting practices may contribute to these disparities. We examined racial and ethnic variations in food parenting practices and their associations with 2-6-year-old children's diets in a cross-sectional sample of U.S. fathers surveyed in 2021-2023 (N = 1015; 16% Asian, 9% Black, 6% Hispanic, 70% White; M_age = 37 years) using path analysis. Fathers' food parenting practices were significantly associated with children's diets, yet little evidence emerged that fathers' food parenting practices explained racial and ethnic disparities in children's diets. These findings suggest the potential importance of structural constraints on healthy eating (e.g., access to healthy food) among minoritized children beyond fathers' food parenting practices.

SUBMITTER: Wang Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12379842 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep-Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature