Tuesday, May 21, 2024

2:15 PM - 2:55 PM

Room 215

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Details

Neha Rathi will begin her talk by sharing her research odyssey and then discuss one of her current research endeavors: “The role of Indian fathers in young childcare and feeding”. The role of parents in fostering children’s healthy habits is a robust area of research. However, most of the existing literature predominantly focuses on mothers’ parenting practices. Given the emergence of nuclear, dual earning families and the recent surge in maternal employment in urban India, fathers’ engagement in child rearing and feeding warrants attention. Neha Rathi conducted a qualitative research inquiry to document the views of Indian fathers about paternal parenting practices, with an emphasis on children’s diet among other health behaviors. Thirty-three fathers of children aged 6-59 months from Kolkata, India took part in semi-structured interviews. Overall, these interviews revealed that Indian fathers played a significant role in child rearing through implementation of various food parenting practices, child vaccination, and joint play-time activities with children. However, they reported that they could not contribute enough to their child’s upbringing because of time shortages and monetary constraints. They also exhibited some concern over their children’s fussy eating practices and constant exposure to digital devices. This enhanced understanding of paternal parenting behavior supports the inclusion of fathers in future family-focused lifestyle interventions aimed at improving children’s health outcomes, including their dietary habits.

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Chair

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Speaker