What is it about?

Dads in Gear (DIG) is a new approach to smoking cessation that is designed specifically for fathers. In a way that has never been done before, the DIG program integrates smoking cessation, with building competencies in fathering and physical activity to increase the success of quitting. The 8-week face-to-face DIG program takes a uniquely creative and masculine approach to activity-based, interactive, and themed sessions. In this study, we provide an evaluation of this new program.

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Why is it important?

There is an untapped opportunity to engage men in smoking cessation when they become fathers. With shifting gender roles, fathers are increasingly involved in childcare and confronted with the discrepancy between their efforts to be “good fathers” and their continued smoking. There have been few efforts to engage new fathers in smoking cessation. Our findings show we can engage fathers in smoking cessation if we use approaches that fit with their preferences and identities as fathers.

Perspectives

We learned so much working with fathers and DIG facilitators in this project. The very positive response to Dads in Gear and the level of engagement of fathers in the program reinforced for us the value of this novel approach. Fathers particularly valued the opportunity for peer support and to engage in discussions about fathering. We learned that fathers with children of all ages can find motivation to stop smoking in the aspirations they hold for being fathers. We hope that this article inspires others to reach out to fathers to support their efforts to be smokefree.

Dr Joan L Bottorff
University of British Columbia

Read the Original

This page is a summary of: Evaluating the feasibility of a gender-sensitized smoking cessation program for fathers., Psychology of Men & Masculinity, November 2018, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/men0000190.
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