Table.

Focus group themes and supporting quotes from fifty-five Hispanic mothers of 2-to-5-year-old children living in Oklahoma City, OK regarding their views of fathers' roles in promoting healthy behaviors at home

Theme 1: Fathers’ disagreement with mothers about food preferences and preparation	Representative quotes
Traditional expectations about the type of foods to eat and portion sizes	“And if you give them cereal for dinner, you are lazy. I do it so that I don’t gain weight and he says it is because I am lazy. It is very difficult. And my husband has to eat with hot peppers and everything.” (Focus group 1) “So at night, he tells me to make him some quesadillas. And I tell him, but I made soup, I made a stew, made rice, do you have to eat quesadillas every night? I tell him I used to like quesadillas but I don’t know why I have to make quesadillas every night. I tell him, you can eat something else and he wants just quesadillas, true. Every day, every night and so I think that influences how I feed my girls and their mealtimes.” (Focus group 8) “My husband… well he is really chubby. When I married him, he was used to my mother-in law cooking, like tortillas and flour, and lots of red meat every day…I felt bad because I do not eat meat, I eat cooked squash or something like that, and my husband is used to food cooked with lard and fried and I do not. These are habits like she [another participant] says that come from our ancestors and my husband still wants to eat that type of food.” (Focus group 2)
Tempting mothers to eat against their wishes	“…and husbands don’t understand about diets…and even when you don’t want anymore, they say, come on just a little bit. And I don’t have to eat at night anymore and they are like sit with me to keep me company. And it makes my mouth water. I tell him, I can’t eat at night, if you know how I have my sugar.” (Focus group 2)
Theme 2: Fathers’ support for child healthy eating
Support: Use of modeling behaviors to feed children fruits and vegetables, prepare healthy meals, and involve children in grocery shopping	“What my husband does is to take them fishing. He takes them fishing so they go running outdoors, and what he does is to give them fruit, and salads, because my kids love salads, and [he] cooks baked chicken nuggets and he chops it and adds it in the salad. And that way he has food to take with him for the children.” (Focus group 2) “My husband takes them shopping to buy fruits, greens… they wash them and prepare them and eat them together.” (Focus group 7)
Lack of support: Use of food for emotion regulation or displaying an indulgent parenting style	My husband likes to spoil them. If he [child] wants a churro and sometimes we are home and it is late, and sometimes so that he [child] doesn’t cry or for another reason, well he goes to the store and buys it for him.” (Focus group 4). “Or when the boy wants chips when we come out of the doctor’s office…[mother asking father] What do you buy a large bag for…Buy him a small one, the smallest one. And give it to him. And it is to just take the temptation away. Difference is that one is wrong: it is more convenient to buy him the large one, has more. But it is worse what he will eat. Buy him the small bag and that is it. There is no more, no more no more. But doesn’t buy in large amounts.” (Focus group 8)
Theme 3: Fathers’ support for child’s physical activity
Playing sports with children or asking children to help with household chores.	“In my case, my husband, since he likes to play soccer, he tells the children to come and play soccer with him if they are watching TV. And they go with their dad. Sometimes they even take the baby. They carry her and take her for a walk. Sometimes they also play with a ball.” (Focus group 9) “My husband also comes home after work and he asks the children to go outside to help or to play so that they are not inside watching TV.” (Focus group 9)
Theme 4: Fathers’ lack of support for a healthy food environment
Making high-calorie foods available in the home	“My husband sometimes buys boxes of frozen burritos and all those soups [referring to Maruchana ramen noodle soup], but I do not let them [children] eat because they know I do not like those foods.”(Focus group 6) “My husband works at the pizza place, forget it and I tell him not to bring pizza because if you keep bringing pizza for him, he will continue to gain weight. It is better not to bring him any more pizza. He says he will not bring him anymore and later, with the pizza, and the other one does not want anything with him and the little one is on the same path and I tell him no, don’t bring him, he is doing good. He is not fat or skinny. I tell him don’t bring him.” (Focus group 1). “Like my husband, he picked up the groceries. He came with who knows how many cokes and think I don’t know why [he] brought so many and I said why you want them for? [He says] well I will drink them. And I tell him: And you think you will drink them by yourself? I tell him, you bring food for your son, but you don’t want him to continue like this. I tell him no, don’t bring anymore. I tell him one thing, his son doesn’t drink the water now…And then I tell him, you know well you don’t need to bring that [coke], there is water. I tell him and you don’t bring diet, you should have brought diet.” (Focus group 3).
Involving fathers in nutrition education classes	“Like in my case, if my husband came [mother talking about nutrition education for the family], he [father] would see that he should not bring soda home nor pizza. He would help with that.” (Focus group 1). “…they did something and everybody came and they had daycare for the children, they were given food because the husbands come very hungry. They [husbands] were given healthy food and it was good. They [husbands] were told that what they were eating was very healthy and had the class and it was for couples. I thought that was very good.” (Focus group 2).

^aToyo Suisan Company.