Pediatric Obesity Parenting and childhood obesity research: a quantitative content analysis of published research 2009–2015 S. Gicevic, 1 A. Aftosmes-Tobio, 1 J. A. Manganello, 4 C. Ganter, 1 C. L. Simon, 2 S. Newlan 3 and K. K. Davison 1,2 1 Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA, 2 Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA, 3 Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA, and 4 School of Public Health, Department of Health Policy, Management and Behavior, One University Place, University at Albany, Rensselaer, NY, USA Received 8 October 2015; revised 29 February 2016; accepted 11 March 2016 Address for correspondence: Selma Gicevic, Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA. E-mail: selma.gicevic@mail.harvard.edu Summary Background: A quantitative content analysis of research on parenting and child- hood obesity was conducted to describe the recent literature and to identify gaps to address in future research. Methods: Studies were identified from multiple databases and screened accord- ing to an a priori defined protocol. Eligible studies included non-intervention stud- ies, published in English (January 2009–December 2015) that focused on parenting and childhood obesity and included parent participants. Results: Studies eligible for inclusion (N = 667) focused on diet (57%), physical activity (23%) and sedentary behaviours (12%). The vast majority of studies used quantitative methods (80%) and a cross-sectional design (86%). Few studies focused exclusively on fathers (1%) or included non-residential (1%), non- biological (4%), indigenous (1%), immigrant (7%), ethnic/racial minority (15%) or low-socioeconomic status (19%) parents. Discussion: While results illustrate that parenting in the context of childhood obesity is a robust, global and multidisciplinary area of inquiry, it is also evident that the vast majority of studies are conducted among Caucasian, female, biological caregivers living in westernized countries. Expansion of study foci and design is rec- ommended to capture a wider range of caregiver types and obesity-related parent- ing constructs, improve the validity and generalizability of findings and inform the development of culture-specific childhood obesity prevention interventions and policies. © 2016 World Obesity Keywords: Childhood obesity, diet, parenting, physical activity. obesity reviews (2016) 17, 724–734 Introduction Childhood obesity is a grave public health concern in both developed and developing countries (1,2). Research on socio-environmental and behavioural predictors of child- hood obesity has expanded rapidly as scientists seek to find ways to fully explain and reverse the obesity epidemic. Parents remain one of the leading influences on child weight (3) through their role as primary decision makers and role models for children during crucial years of development, when dietary, physical activity and media habits are formed (4–6). There are a variety of pathways through which parents affect children’s lifestyle behaviours including their (i) diet, physical activity and media behaviours; (ii) food, physical activity and media-related parenting practices; (iii) parenting styles (i.e. authoritative, authoritarian and permissive); and (iv) the environments to which they expose their children. As such parents/caregivers are key targets for efforts to prevent and treat childhood obesity. Studies have shown an unambiguous effect of parental health behaviour on that of their children. In a systematic review (7) of observational studies on family correlates of child and adolescent fruit and vegetable intake, consistent positive relationships were identified between parents’ and © 2016 World Obesity 724 17, 724–734, August 2016 obesity reviews doi: 10.1111/obr.12416