¿Qué Pasa Con Papá? Exploring Paternal Responsibilities and Physical Activity in Mexican-Heritage Families

Megan E. McClendon, M. Renée Umstattd Meyer, Tyler Prochnow, Kelly R. Ylitalo, Andrew R. Meyer, Christina N. Bridges Hamilton and Joseph R. Sharkey
Additional contact information
Megan E. McClendon: Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
M. Renée Umstattd Meyer: Department of Public Health, Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76706, USA
Tyler Prochnow: Department of Public Health, Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76706, USA
Kelly R. Ylitalo: Department of Public Health, Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76706, USA
Andrew R. Meyer: Department of Health, Human Performance & Recreation, Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76706, USA
Christina N. Bridges Hamilton: Department of Public Health, Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76706, USA
Joseph R. Sharkey: Department of Health Promotion & Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 16, 1-10

Abstract: Mexican-heritage children often achieve less physical activity (PA) than their counterparts and are at greater risk for associated comorbidities. Child PA is greatly influenced by their parents, yet researchers have rarely involved fathers in community health promotion. The purpose of this study is to examine Mexican-heritage fathers’ perceptions of responsibilities and self-reported activities. Promotoras recruited fathers ( n = 300) from colonies on the Texas–Mexico border and administered Spanish-language surveys including paternal responsibilities, father PA, and PA co-participation. Two researchers coded responses. Open-ended items were coded and cross-tabulations between responsibilities and activities with children were examined. Fathers reported feeling monetary responsibilities most often. Fathers reported engaging in more activities with their sons than daughters; however, fathers engaged in very few activities specifically with their children. Feeling responsible for family expenses was associated with paternal PA co-participation with family and children. This study adds clarity to the role of Mexican-heritage fathers in child PA. Findings highlight potential areas for intervention including supporting fathers to take an active role in their children’s PA.

Keywords: family centered; Latino/a; Mexican-heritage; co-participation; physical activity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/16/8618/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/16/8618/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:16:p:8618-:d:614771

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().