National Fatherhood Initiative's 24/7 Dad

Evidence Rating  
Evidence rating: Insufficient Evidence

Strategies with this rating have limited research documenting effects. These strategies need further research, often with stronger designs, to confirm effects.

Health Factors  
Retired Strategy

Retired strategies are no longer updated.

Date last updated

24/7 Dad is a voluntary, comprehensive fatherhood program designed to help men improve their parenting skills and fathering knowledge. The program focuses on building self-awareness, self-caring, and parenting, fathering, and relationship skills through 12 weekly, two-hour group or individual sessions1.

What could this strategy improve?

Expected Benefits

Our evidence rating is based on the likelihood of achieving these outcomes:

  • Improved parenting

Potential Benefits

Our evidence rating is not based on these outcomes, but these benefits may also be possible:

  • Improved family functioning

What does the research say about effectiveness?

There is insufficient evidence to determine whether 24/7 Dad improves parenting skills. Available evidence suggests that program participation may improve knowledge about and attitudes towards parenting for a variety of populations2, 34, including those under correctional supervision5. Program participation may also increase fathers’ involvement with their children and improve the quality of the parent-child relationship2. Additional evidence is needed to confirm effects.

How could this strategy impact health disparities? This strategy is rated no impact on disparities likely.
Implementation Resources

NFI-Fathersource - National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI). Fathersource.

Footnotes

* Journal subscription may be required for access.

1 NFI - National Fatherhood Initiative.

2 Lewin-Bizan 2015 - Lewin-Bizan S. 24/7 Dad Program in Hawaii: Sample, design, and preliminary results. National Fatherhood Initiative; 2015.

3 Hyra 2011 - Hyra A. Outcome evaluation of Puerto Rican Family Institute’s fatherhood involvement grant activities. Washington, D.C.: Hyra Consulting; 2011.

4 Evans-Rhodes 2010 - Evans-Rhodes D. Dads matters performance measure 2009-2010: Preliminary results for confidence and knowledge. Germantown: National Fatherhood Initiative; 2010.

5 da Rosa 2012 - da Rosa GD, Melby JN. Report on prisoner reentry project: Analysis of 24/7 Dad pre- and post-test results. Ames: Iowa State University; 2012.