title: Nonresident African-American fathers' influence on sons' exercise intentions in the fathers and sons program.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test the effects of a family-centered intervention for enhancing intentions to exercise among African-American boys with nonresident fathers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Quasi-experimental, intervention study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two Midwestern cities.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 287 nonresident African-American fathers and their 8- to 12-year-old sons (n = 158 intervention dyads; n = 129 comparison dyads).
  
  
  METHODS
  The Fathers and Sons Program is a 15-session family-based intervention focused on promoting the health of African-American boys by enhancing the parenting attitudes and behaviors of their nonresident fathers and positively influencing parent-child interactions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Demographic information and intervention outcomes were assessed at baseline and follow-up via self-report.
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive statistics, logistic regression, and structural equation modeling.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The intervention was successful in improving the exercise intentions of boys (B = .246; p = .005; B = .210; p = .012). The effect was not direct; increasing contact between fathers and sons (B = .154; p = .001), enhancing the quality of their relationship (B = .366; p < .001), and improving fathers' own intentions to exercise (B = .265; p = .001) were mediating factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Interventions aimed at improving exercise intentions among African-American boys with nonresident fathers should focus on relational factors.
authors.forename: Katrina R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Ellis
authors.forename: Cleopatra Howard
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Caldwell
authors.forename: Shervin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Assari
authors.forename: E Hill
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: De Loney
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D015444:Exercise; D005219:Father-Child Relations; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D008297:Male; D015146:Midwestern United States / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Adolescents; Exercise; Fathers; Health focus: physical activity; Intention; Intervention Studies; Manuscript format: research; Outcome measure: cognitive; Prevention Research; Research purpose: intervention testing; Setting: family; Sons; Strategy: skill building/behavior change; Study design: quasi-experimental; Target population age: youth; Target population circumstances: African-American