Nonresident African-American Fathers’ Influence on Sons’ Exercise Intentions in the Fathers and Sons Program

Abstract

Purpose: To test the effects of a family-centered intervention for enhancing intentions to exercise among African-American boys with nonresident fathers.

Design: Quasi-experimental, intervention study.

Setting: Two Midwestern cities.

Subjects: A total of 287 nonresident African-American fathers and their 8- to 12-year-old sons (n = 158 intervention dyads; n = 129 comparison dyads).

Intervention: The Fathers and Sons Program is a 15-session family-based intervention focused on promoting the health of African-American boys by enhancing the parenting attitudes and behaviors of their nonresident fathers and positively influencing parent-child interactions.

Measures: Demographic information and intervention outcomes were assessed at baseline and follow-up via self-report.

Analysis: Descriptive statistics, logistic regression, and structural equation modeling.

Results: The intervention was successful in improving the exercise intentions of boys (B = .246; p = .005; B = .210; p = .012). The effect was not direct; increasing contact between fathers and sons (B = .154; p = .001), enhancing the quality of their relationship (B = .366; p < .001), and improving fathers' own intentions to exercise (B = .265; p = .001) were mediating factors.

Conclusion: Interventions aimed at improving exercise intentions among African-American boys with nonresident fathers should focus on relational factors.