The Father's Role in Complementary Feeding During Infancy in Turkey.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of fathers' participation in complementary feeding on the occurrence of parent-reported behavioral feeding problems in infants.

Method: Both parents in the intervention group and mothers in the control group were trained for 20 minutes in accordance with the national complementary feeding guideline. Behavioral feeding status were evaluated by Behavioral Pediatrics Feeding Assessment Scale.

Results: The frequency of fathers engaged in infant feeding increased in the intervention group compared with in the control group at the follow-ups (p < 0.05), respectively. The frequency of behavioral feeding problems at 9th and 12th months in the intervention group was 44.7% and 18.8%, respectively, compared with 79.5% and 65% in the control group (p < 0.05). Problems related to the attitudes of fathers during feeding in the intervention group were lower than the control group. The Behavioral Pediatrics Feeding Assessment Scale scores in the intervention group were 54.36 ± 6.82 and 53.31 ± 6.62 for fathers, while they were 62.54 ± 6.69 and 61.28 ± 7.73 for fathers in the control group, at the 9th and 12th months, respectively (p < 0.01).

Conclusion: Training and engaging fathers on complementary feeding positively affects the feeding attitudes and behaviors of parents and reduces early behavioral feeding problems in infants.