Paternal feeding and child care are significant determinants of child nutrition, health, and well-being. In many Kenyan communities, fathers seldom participate; child care is predominantly perceived as the mother's responsibility. Limited paternal involvement may negatively impact the quality of child nutrition and care in the home. This study investigated fathers’ roles, perceptions, and barriers to participation in child feeding and care in Kathonzweni Ward, Makueni County, Kenya. The study used an exploratory qualitative design. Researchers conducted 11 focus group discussions with fathers, mothers, and community health promoters to understand paternal practices, perceptions, and challenges. They audio-recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed each session to find key themes. Five main themes emerged: paternal roles (financial support and direct care), effects of paternal involvement on child health, barriers, cultural norms and evolving practices, and support needs. Fathers mostly provided financial support and decided on household food and health costs; a few helped with daily feeding and care. Younger and more educated fathers were more likely to feed, play with, and take children to health facilities. Economic hardship, substance use, limited nutrition knowledge, and prevailing gender norms constrained fathers’ participation. Further, societal and cultural beliefs that caregiving constitutes women’s work discouraged male involvement. Nevertheless, most participants agreed that children benefited from paternal involvement through improved nutrition, health, and family cohesion. The study urges sharing caregiving and feeding tasks equally between parents. Recommendations include health education for men, community awareness, and livelihood support to empower fathers as caregivers. Involving men in maternal and child health and removing social barriers can normalize their participation. These strategies could improve child nutrition and well-being in rural Kenya.
| Published in | Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences (Volume 13, Issue 6) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.jfns.20251306.13 |
| Page(s) | 326-333 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Paternal Involvement, Child Feeding, Caregiving, Gender Norms, Nutrition
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APA Style
Muinde, N., Kimiywe, J., Kiio, J. (2025). Paternal Role on Feeding and Childcare: Exploring Practices, Perceptions and Challenges in Makueni County; A Qualitative Study. Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences, 13(6), 326-333. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfns.20251306.13
ACS Style
Muinde, N.; Kimiywe, J.; Kiio, J. Paternal Role on Feeding and Childcare: Exploring Practices, Perceptions and Challenges in Makueni County; A Qualitative Study. J. Food Nutr. Sci. 2025, 13(6), 326-333. doi: 10.11648/j.jfns.20251306.13
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Download@article{10.11648/j.jfns.20251306.13,
author = {Neema Muinde and Judith Kimiywe and Juliana Kiio},
title = {Paternal Role on Feeding and Childcare: Exploring Practices, Perceptions and Challenges in Makueni County; A Qualitative Study
},
journal = {Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences},
volume = {13},
number = {6},
pages = {326-333},
doi = {10.11648/j.jfns.20251306.13},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfns.20251306.13},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jfns.20251306.13},
abstract = {Paternal feeding and child care are significant determinants of child nutrition, health, and well-being. In many Kenyan communities, fathers seldom participate; child care is predominantly perceived as the mother's responsibility. Limited paternal involvement may negatively impact the quality of child nutrition and care in the home. This study investigated fathers’ roles, perceptions, and barriers to participation in child feeding and care in Kathonzweni Ward, Makueni County, Kenya. The study used an exploratory qualitative design. Researchers conducted 11 focus group discussions with fathers, mothers, and community health promoters to understand paternal practices, perceptions, and challenges. They audio-recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed each session to find key themes. Five main themes emerged: paternal roles (financial support and direct care), effects of paternal involvement on child health, barriers, cultural norms and evolving practices, and support needs. Fathers mostly provided financial support and decided on household food and health costs; a few helped with daily feeding and care. Younger and more educated fathers were more likely to feed, play with, and take children to health facilities. Economic hardship, substance use, limited nutrition knowledge, and prevailing gender norms constrained fathers’ participation. Further, societal and cultural beliefs that caregiving constitutes women’s work discouraged male involvement. Nevertheless, most participants agreed that children benefited from paternal involvement through improved nutrition, health, and family cohesion. The study urges sharing caregiving and feeding tasks equally between parents. Recommendations include health education for men, community awareness, and livelihood support to empower fathers as caregivers. Involving men in maternal and child health and removing social barriers can normalize their participation. These strategies could improve child nutrition and well-being in rural Kenya.
},
year = {2025}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Paternal Role on Feeding and Childcare: Exploring Practices, Perceptions and Challenges in Makueni County; A Qualitative Study AU - Neema Muinde AU - Judith Kimiywe AU - Juliana Kiio Y1 - 2025/11/28 PY - 2025 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfns.20251306.13 DO - 10.11648/j.jfns.20251306.13 T2 - Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences JF - Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences JO - Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences SP - 326 EP - 333 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2330-7293 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfns.20251306.13 AB - Paternal feeding and child care are significant determinants of child nutrition, health, and well-being. In many Kenyan communities, fathers seldom participate; child care is predominantly perceived as the mother's responsibility. Limited paternal involvement may negatively impact the quality of child nutrition and care in the home. This study investigated fathers’ roles, perceptions, and barriers to participation in child feeding and care in Kathonzweni Ward, Makueni County, Kenya. The study used an exploratory qualitative design. Researchers conducted 11 focus group discussions with fathers, mothers, and community health promoters to understand paternal practices, perceptions, and challenges. They audio-recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed each session to find key themes. Five main themes emerged: paternal roles (financial support and direct care), effects of paternal involvement on child health, barriers, cultural norms and evolving practices, and support needs. Fathers mostly provided financial support and decided on household food and health costs; a few helped with daily feeding and care. Younger and more educated fathers were more likely to feed, play with, and take children to health facilities. Economic hardship, substance use, limited nutrition knowledge, and prevailing gender norms constrained fathers’ participation. Further, societal and cultural beliefs that caregiving constitutes women’s work discouraged male involvement. Nevertheless, most participants agreed that children benefited from paternal involvement through improved nutrition, health, and family cohesion. The study urges sharing caregiving and feeding tasks equally between parents. Recommendations include health education for men, community awareness, and livelihood support to empower fathers as caregivers. Involving men in maternal and child health and removing social barriers can normalize their participation. These strategies could improve child nutrition and well-being in rural Kenya. VL - 13 IS - 6 ER -
Department of Food, Nutrition and Dietetics, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya
Department of Food, Nutrition and Dietetics, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya
Department of Food, Nutrition and Dietetics, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya
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