Good Foods, Good Fathering: A Community-Extension Partnership to Engage Low Income Urban Fathers In Their Child’s Nutrition

Abstract

Research shows the importance of parental guidance in making healthy food choices. Fathers, specifically non-residential fathers, are often left out of the conversation when it comes to grocery shopping, meal planning and food preparation. They tend to cater to their children’s wants rather than making healthy food choices With funding from the Healthy Foods, Healthy Lives Institute, Extension’s Simply Good Eating and Master Gardener programs and a community partner designed a participatory research pilot project to bring low-income, non-residential fathers back to the kitchen with the goal of linking growing,preparing and shopping for healthy food with building healthy family relationships. While this project required patience and flexibility, the fathers eloquently expressed how participation in this project changed the way they thought about feeding, parenting and nurturing their children. The community- Extension partnership was invaluable in providing healthy and positive food experiences for a group that has not been engaged by Extension.