Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids

A world-first healthy lifestyle program that focuses on fathers is transforming the health of men and their families around the world.

The health behaviours of fathers have a much greater impact on their kids than you might think.

Fathers play an important but often undervalued role in shaping children’s physical activity and eating habits – through their own behaviours, attitudes, parenting styles and practices. Despite this influence, fathers rarely engage in programs aimed at improving family health.

University of Newcastle researchers recognised this gap and developed the first-ever research program focused on the critical role fathers play in children’s health.

Healthy Dads Healthy Kids is an international, award-winning program that engages fathers as positive lifestyle role models and uses mutual reinforcement to improve health outcomes for both dads and their children.

Multiple studies have shown lasting improvements in the health of fathers and their children after participating in the program. Healthy Dads Healthy Kids also strengthens father–child relationships, improves parenting practices and helps build healthier family habits.

The program has helped more than 2,000 fathers and their children around the world, with adaptations developed to meet the needs of disadvantaged and marginalised families across the globe.

Following a successful adaptation to support fathers in Scottish prisons, the research team secured funding from Rotary Health Australia in 2026 to work with Corrective Services NSW on a program to improve the mental health of children with fathers in NSW correctional centres.

Health impacts

Multiple evaluations have found sustained health benefits for participating fathers and their children.

• Studies have found that fathers generally lose around five percent of their total body weight 12 months after completing the program. They also achieve sustained improvements in physical activity and dietary intake, along with reductions in body mass index and resting heart rate.
• Children benefited through increased physical activity, reduced screen time and improved dietary intake.
• Importantly, fathers develop the skills and confidence to be positive role models, strengthening their relationships and long-term connection with their children.
• These positive changes extend beyond participating fathers and children, with benefits observed across the broader family unit.

International reach

The Healthy Dads Healthy Kids team has trained more than 125 facilitators to deliver community-managed partnerships around the world, including:

• Healthy Dads Healthy Kids Scotland – a three-year collaboration with the Scottish Prison Service, the University of Glasgow and University of Stirling to adapt and pilot the program with incarcerated fathers and their children. The project also involved collaboration with the charitable arms of the Falkirk Football Club and Kilmarnock Football Club to deliver the program in the community.
• Papa Saludables Ninos Saludables – a multi-year Hispanic cultural adaptation for Latino-American families in Texas, with Baylor College of Medicine
• Healthy Dads Healthy Mob: biya yadha gudjagang yadha’ – a cultural adaptation with Eleanor Duncan Aboriginal Services to improve the heart health of families living on Darkinjung Country on the Central Coast of NSW
• Run Daddy Run – an adaptation in Belgium with the University of Ghent
• Healthy Dads Health Kids UK – an adaptation in Birmingham, England for ethnically diverse communities, in partnership with the Fatherhood Institute U.K. and the University of Birmingham
• Starke Vater Starke Kinder – an adaptation for low socio-economic and multicultural communities in Bremen, Germany, with the Leibniz Institute of Prevention Research & Epidemiology

Research awards

The impact of Healthy Dads Healthy Kids has been recognised by leading health, sporting and community engagement bodies, including:

• The World Health Organisation: Excellence in Obesity Prevention award
• Sports Medicine Australia: The ASICS Medal
• International Congress of Obesity (Stockholm): Public Health and Policy Prize
• Hunter Children’s Research Fund: Community Acknowledgement of Research Excellence (C.A.R.E.) Award
• Australia’s Business and Higher Education Round Table: Best Community Engagement award

More information:

Professor Phil Morgan
E: philip.morgan@newcastle.edu.au
W: healthydadshealthykids.com
P: +61 2 4921 7265

Last updated April 2026

Professor Philip Morgan

I love seeing the many ways that Healthy Dads Healthy Kids is changing people’s lives, improving family well-being and creating stronger connections between fathers and their children across the world.