# Long-term outcomes of a father-daughter program for sport participation, activity, wellbeing, and gender equity: a 3-8-year mixed-methods follow-up

## TL;DR

A program involving fathers and daughters in sports and activities shows lasting benefits for physical activity, wellbeing, and gender equity up to 8 years later.

## Contribution

This study provides novel evidence of long-term impacts (3–8 years) of a father-daughter physical activity program on wellbeing and gender equity.

## Key findings

- Daughters showed sustained sports participation, wellbeing, and awareness of gender equity.
- Fathers became advocates for gender equity and prioritized their role in family activity.
- Family routines and closer relationships were reported as lasting outcomes.

## Abstract

Dads and Daughters Exercising and Empowered (DADEE) is a program that engages fathers/father-figures to improve their primary-school aged daughter’s physical activity levels and social-emotional wellbeing. The holistic benefits of this program have been previously reported at post-program, 9-months and 12-months post-baseline. This study aims to investigate the long-term impact of the program on the fathers, daughters and broader family unit when followed-up between 3–8-years after program completion.

A mixed-methods design was employed, including online survey data and one-on-one semi-structured interviews with fathers that attended the program between 2015 and 2020. Both survey and interview questions focused on fathers’ perceptions of any long-term impact of the program on themselves, their daughter, and their family. The survey also explored daughters’ current participation in sport and physical activity. All information about impacts on daughters and the wider family unit was obtained through father proxy report. Descriptive analyses were conducted for quantitative data, while the qualitative dataset was analysed independently using an inductive thematic analysis.

A total of 197 fathers (50% of those invited) completed the online survey (fathers; 47.5 ± 4.9 years, daughters; 14.4 ± 2.4 years), while a random selection of 24 fathers completed interviews (fathers; 46.9 ± 4.9 years, daughters: 14.2 ± 2.9 years). For daughters, three key themes emerged as prominent sustained impacts: D1. More sports participation and active lifestyle, D2. Enhanced social-emotional wellbeing and D3. Awareness and ability to overcome gender inequities. For fathers, four key themes emerged: F1. Gender equity advocates, F2. Prioritising the father role, F3. Empowering daughters to stay active and F4. More active lifestyle. Two key themes emerged for the father-daughter dyad: FD1. Increased co-physical activity and FD2. Closer relationship in the teenage years, while two themes emerged for the wider family unit: Fam1. Gender equity advocates and Fam2. Establishing new family routines.

This novel physical activity and wellbeing program targeting fathers and daughters has led to perceived long-term effects (between 3 and 8 years since program completion) for fathers, daughters and the family unit. The evidence-based strategies implemented in the program can inform design and delivery of more effective family-based lifestyle programs, with potential to achieve long-term, holistic benefits.

Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12623000626662. Prospectively registered: 07/06/2023.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-026-26287-7.