Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Childhood obesity and, concomitantly, food insecurity and hunger, are issues that disproportionately affect children with absent fathers. In this study, we investigate the relationship between nonresident father involvement and adolescent weight, specifically adolescents’ risk of being under- and overweight, using longitudinal data from the National Survey of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Our results indicate that the relationship depends on family income and fathers’ obesity, and varies for boys versus girls. Among poor children, involvement with a nonresident father at wave 1 significantly reduces a child’s chances of being underweight at wave 2 of the survey (boys and girls). Poor children with overweight fathers experience further reductions in their risk of being underweight. Among higher income children, girls (but not boys) who are involved with an overweight father at wave 1 have an increased risk of being overweight at wave 2. Child support payments are not associated with being at risk of overweight or underweight. Policy efforts aimed at improving child well-being should continue to encourage nonresident father involvement, but should take into account the potentially negative effects of nonresident fathers’ obesity on children.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Fathers have been encouraged to take an active parenting role because a healthy relationship can have beneficial outcomes for their children. Using the public access National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) data set, this study explored the associations between resident and nonresident father’s interaction and relationship closeness with their adolescent children to better understand potential mechanisms for increasing closeness. Multivariate analyses revealed that physical (i.e. playing sports) and verbal interaction (i.e. talking about school) were positively associated with relationship closeness for adolescents and their resident and nonresident fathers. Adolescents who were male, younger, argued less with their father, and had a closer relationship with their biological mother reported closer relationships with their resident and nonresident fathers. Encouraging resident and nonresident fathers to maintain interaction with their adolescent children through physical activities or verbal communication is important given their positive association with relationship closeness.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Using interviews with 167 rural low-income mothers, this study qualitatively explored how members of a non-resident father’s social and familial network promote or hinder his involvement with his child(ren). The results indicated that the father’s family of origin—grandparents and siblings—plays an important role in the father-child relationship. Paternal grandparents, especially grandmothers, can often encourage father-child contact, make up for father’s lack of financial support, and even act as mediator between the father and custodial mother. The fathers’ new wives or partners also had a significant positive or negative impact on the fathers’ involvement. Although some mothers reported that a father’s new wife or partner can be an obstacle, other mothers attributed positive changes in the father’s attitude and behavior to the new partner. These results demonstrate the importance of taking the broader social context of a non-resident father into account when examining their involvement with their children.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: There is widespread concern among practitioners and
scholars that citizen surveys of community services are heavily
influenced by the respondents’ opinions on other issues and by their
socio-demographic backgrounds. In this study we explore these potential
biases in citizen assessments by examining the extent
to which the assessments match the assessments of a nonresident
nonexpert. Our data come from a unique study of 99 Iowa communities
conducted by Iowa State University. Approximately 100 randomly selected
citizens in each community were surveyed and asked a variety of
questions, including queries on the condition of their town’s streets
and parks. The same 99 communities were visited by a researcher who
also rated the condition of the streets and parks. The average ratings
of the citizens correlate significantly with the ratings of the neutral
observer, indicating that citizen evaluations are certainly not
entirely the product of other influences. Multiple regression analysis
reveals, however, some sources of bias. In particular, streets are
rated higher in wealthy towns, towns high in political efficacy, and
towns where residents rate government services good overall, and parks
are rated higher in towns where people come together to solve problems
and in towns where people rate government services good overall. The
message from our research is that citizen evaluations do convey
reasonably accurate, and therefore valuable, information to
practitioners.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Although adolescents from divorced or separated households smoke at higher rates than their peers, the mechanisms underlying this difference in behavior have not been adequately described. Using a sample of 2,694 adolescents from two waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health and drawing on theories of parental involvement, modeling, and the same-sex hypothesis, this study tests whether nonresident fathers’ practices affect the propensity of their adolescent children to smoke. The findings suggest that nonresident fathers’ involvement does affect the probability that adolescents smoke, but that these effects vary according to adolescents’ gender and fathers’ modeling of smoking behavior. Implications for theory and public policy are discussed.