Table 2 Themes and example quote

father’s own parenting practices and role-modeling behaviors

fathers’ parenting practices

healthy

“Like now he wants something at night, we will let him have a bowl of cereal, but not a big bowl.... He is learning that he just can’t eat anything he wants, because he will get big.”

Turner 2014, p 566

“I like to introduce new things to the kids once in a while and open up their minds to trying new stuff.”

Khandpur 2016, p 8

"Yeah we always try to make sure we sit down together. I think that's pretty important. We'll all sit down and we'll make sure, yeah. There's no TV on, there's nothing like that, sort of just us."

Walsh 2017, p 6

“We try and aim as a family, especially for meal time/dinner time to sit down as a family and share that as not only a time for eating but more so conversing and communicating with the family. So we see food as coupled with that as part of our rules, tradition that we like to sit down as a family.”

Walsh 2017, p 9

“It [physical activity] is kind of my domain cause I feel like well I signed ‘em up.’”

Neshteruk et al., 2020, p 542

“And it [physical activity]’s [boxing], like, an everyday routine, Monday through Friday. There’s sometimes he doesn’t like it; I know he doesn’t really, he gets tired, but I tell him it’s for your own good, you know. It’s for self-defense, healthy, it’s healthier, keep yourself busy. He lost a lot of weight, that’s what I like.”

Turner 2014, p 566

unhealthy

“Now eat. I’ll sit at the table with him. You can’t leave this table until you eat.”

Khandpur 2016. P 9

“If you don’t finish your dinner, you’re not gonna be able to have the dessert that I bought tonight.”

Khandpur 2016, p 9

“Every morning before we put him on the bus, if he’s good, he gets a glazed donut.”

Khandpur 2016, p 9

“if you eat this salad, I’ll give you a small piece of chocolate”

Zhang 2018, p 2074

“I try to give him what he wants [ to eat]. He’s kind of spoiled”

Khandpur 2016, p 10

“He’s looking at it[TV] the whole time. I feel like that keeps him focused.” -

Khandpur 2016, p 10

fathers’ role-modeling behaviors

healthy

“I think it's extremely important. Your words, your actions, your behaviors have a great impact because I believe the home is the first school that they attend. So what they learn from us is eventually what their characters will be made up of.”

Walsh 2017, p 9

"It's, you know, we're role models in all aspects of life and I think healthy eating habits and exercise and the whole package is such a critical part. I think there's a lot geared back to the parents taking responsibility for that because they're the ones setting the example of that sort of habits/culture. So yeah, no, it's a huge part of what we practice and preach."

Walsh 2017, p 6

“I think it’s very important, you can tell your kids to eat vegetables but if you’re not eating them yourself it’s very hard. They think you’re not doing it so why should they. I think it’s very important.”

Walsh 2017, p 9

"I mean I think kids learn by seeing and hearing. We try to model and it doesn't always work but we are conscious of leading by example for all the kids. (FA17). P6

Walsh 2017, p 6

“I mean basic stuff, like we’d always encourage walking places that we can locally. I guess that also goes with your role modelling stuff and that we would always try and walk somewhere if we can, especially if it’s just a local activity”

Walsh 2017, p 10

"I feel strongly that …I should lead by example. So whenever they're at soccer practice, I make sure that I'm there…running, exercising the entire time they are so they can see."

Neshteruk et al., 2020, p 542

unhealthy

“Just recently I myself have worked to improve my health by not buying soda at the store. Falling back into bad habits [is a barrier]! Also, having an addiction to soda will be a barrier for me.”

Vollmer 2018, p 286

fathers’ roles in their relationships with their family members

Shared childcare and household responsibilities with spouses

healthy

“My wife and I split things pretty 50–50, right down the middle. She’s really in charge of Thursday, Friday and Saturdays, and I’m able to be there Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. I do most of the cooking in the evenings when I’m at home. She takes the day, and I take the night.”

Khandpur 2016, p 458

“Me and my wife, we try to split the responsibilities for cooking. As far as groceries go we both do it together. We don’t have a car. It makes it easier if we’re both together to help carry stuff in. I enjoy going shopping because I like to introduce new things to the kids once in a while and open up their minds a little bit to trying new stuff.”

Khandpur 2016, p 458

“I’m definitely the primary parent with regards to grocery shopping. My wife is the primary parent on meal planning."

khandpur 2016, p 458

“We do the same thing, we’ll do it at the same time. It’s not like she specifically does this and I specifically do that. Sometimes it’s a matter of who beats who to the kitchen. We’ll both cook for [our children] together”

khandpur 2016, p 458

unhealthy

“My wife is the one that decides and she has everything prepared.”

Turner 2014, p 566

“I leave it up to my wife. She is the one who is going to cook

Turner 2014, p 566

‘She [mother] is most direct contact when she is buying the food and when she chooses what we eat

Lindsay et al., 2018, p 408

“She’s the CEO (chief executive officer) of domestic duties right now, so she takes full ownership of that. Thank goodness.”

Tan 2020, p 4

Similarity in the fathers’ and their spouses’ parenting practices

healthy

“Her mother’s on the same page with me when it comes to fast food, just really don’t do it much at all.”

Khandpur 2016, p 458

“I think mealtime’s huge. Food draws us back together. It’s that centering point. We want that. My wife is good about that too and I just really try to support her in that.”

Khandpur 2016, p 458

The most important thing is that parents cooperate and agree. It is also important to be flexible, be open about expectations and share the tasks. If we have agreed on a plan, it’s important that we stick to it

Salemonsen 2022, p 8

unhealthy

“in my case my wife spoils them more,., I am a bit rougher, more imposing, and in the end, she is the one who has, let’s say control, over the child”

Zhang 2018, p 2074

“I would take his game away and his mother would come and give it back to him"

Zhang 2018, p 2074

Involvement of the children in activities

healthy

“I’ll say to my son, you’re gonna give me a hard time over vegetables today, so pick a vegetable you’ll eat today and we’ll go home and cook it.”

Khandpur 2016, p 7

“… it's probably a bonding time actually for us like sitting down, eating, because it is one of the times that you are actually all together really … Yeah outside of your days off and stuff like that. Mealtimes would be the time that everybody is there.”

Harris 2020, p 3

"As I think about my relationship with mys son, it's just good to spend time with your kids no matter what you're doing, but the physical activity thing adds another level of bonding.”

Neshteruk 2020, p 542

unhealthy

"… Smartphones and the like have become a way of life for coming generations, with kids getting iPhones, iPods, iPads, and the like at a younger age with each generation. Kids no longer go outside and play or explore like they used to. They no longer get the activity that older generations used to get."

Vollmer 2018, p286

“One day, I said to him, if you don't stop that iPad, I'm going to break that in front of you …. it's mainly communication, because we got told, you know, if you're around the table, you're supposed to face each other, talk to each other.”

Harris 2020, p 3

“… like when the TV's on, he'll just be there, just blankly staring at it and he doesn't really interact. Once you turn the TV off, he'll have a little bit of a tantrum, but after that's past, he becomes really interactive and really funny …”

Harris 2020, p 4

“they say no, we want food from outside”

Zhang 2018, p2074

fathers’ resource-seeking behaviors and contributions to their home food environment

seeking available resources

healthy

“I would consult the pediatrician and make sure they are eating a healthy, well-balanced diet to get their weight under control.”

Vollmer 2018, p286

unhealthy

We live in a society where everything is on fast forward, where both parents are working full-time and are late home. This makes it easier to sometimes buy fastfood on your way home. We pay others to make our meals, no wonder we are gaining weight

Salemonsen 2022, p 6

“I noticed eating healthy, it costs money, it’s kinda expensive, because you know, fresh, fresh, fresh, fresh, rather than frozen and pasteurized and so I think that maybe like with the kids, not say you know our kids, but kids in a community that don’t really have, their parents don’t have the funds, they get it where they buy the things that last longer and that’s not gonna be your fresh and healthy stuff.”

Sherman & Smith 2019, p 5

"I guess people have less time so it's about food that's easy to prepare which is processed, which is typically like high in calories and low nutritional value."

Walsh 2017, p 6

Contribution to their home food environment

healthy

unhealthy

“We try to make a variety of food [available] as well.”

Harris 2020, p 4

“Just recently I myself have worked to improve my health by not buying soda at the store. Falling back into bad habits [is a barrier]! Also, having an addiction to soda will be a barrier for me.”

Vollmer 2018, p286

“Food companies know what it takes to make their food addictive and they’re incentivized to use this knowledge to sell as much as possible to everyone including families with kids. Parents are too tired, stressed, busy to fight it, and slowly they give in, their kids get addicted a vicious cycle ensues.”

Vollmer 2018, p286