Kate W. Bauer

· Associate Professor, Nutritional SciencesVerified

University of Michigan · Nutritional Sciences

Active 1915–2026

h-index34

Citations4.3k

Papers12642 last 5y

Funding—

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About

Kate W. Bauer, PhD, MS, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Trained as a behavioral epidemiologist, her research focuses on understanding social, personal, and behavioral influences on children's healthy eating and weight. She works on translating these findings into innovative nutrition promotion and obesity prevention programs, with a particular interest in identifying factors that affect parents' ability to engage in effective nutrition-related parenting. Dr. Bauer leads the Feeding MI Families project, which aims to elevate families' food security experiences and develop parent-driven recommendations to create more equitable and responsive nutrition assistance systems in Michigan. She also leads several NIH-supported studies examining the role of parents' emotional and behavioral self-regulation on parenting practices and children's health outcomes. In collaboration with Dr. Natasha Schvey at the Uniformed Services University, she has developed and is testing a measure of weight stigma directed at parents.

Research topics

Environmental health
Medicine
Internal medicine
Virology

Selected publications

Visual abstract_De Oliveira 2026 et al. Men's preconception PA and PA parenting
Figshare · 2026-04-08
otherOpen access
Objectives: Examine whether men's historical patterns of adherence to physical activity (PA) guidelines during adolescence are associated with their PA parenting practices as fathers.Methods: Data were drawn from 565 fathers in the Fathers & Families study (F&F) followed since early adolescence. Analysis focused on men who had a child aged 2-6 years and self-reported at least two historical measures of PA (ages 10-24 years) and PA parenting practices (e.g., being active with the child and facilitating opportunities for activity). Men's patterns of adherence to PA guidelines during adolescence were identified using sequence analysis and hierarchical clustering. We examined associations between these patterns and PA parenting practices in fatherhood using ordinal logistic regression.Results: We identified four patterns of adherence to PA guidelines during adolescence: Consistently Sedentary (12.2%), Early Active (18.2%), Late Active (34.2%), and Consistently Active (35.4%). Compared to men classified as Consistently Sedentary during adolescence, men classified as Late Active (OR = 1.81; 95%CI: 1.05-3.16) or Consistently Active (OR = 2.72; 95%CI: 1.57-4.76) had higher odds of engaging in supportive PA parenting practices as fathers. The PA parenting practices of fathers categorized as Early Active during adolescence did not differ from those classified as Consistently Sedentary.Conclusions: Men who consistently met PA guidelines during adolescence and those who became active later in adolescence were more likely to engage in supportive PA parenting practices as fathers. Results highlight the importance promoting PA among adolescent boys and support calls for a preconception model of men's health.Keywords: Children; Longitudinal Study; Paternal Role; Preconception Health.
Publisher DOI
Bidirectional associations between fathers’ food parenting practices and children’s dietary behaviors
SSRN Electronic Journal · 2026-01-01
preprintOpen access
Publisher DOI
Fathers & Families study protocol
Figshare · 2026-04-13
articleOpen access
Purpose: The Fathers & Families (F&F) Study was established to address critical gaps in understanding fathers’ roles in shaping young children’s health-related behaviors and family health. F&F integrates a family systems perspective with a life course framework to examine determinants and consequences of fathers’ weight-related parenting practices. Participants: F&F is a longitudinal cohort of 1,272 fathers of children aged 1–6 years and 582 co-parents recruited between 2021 and 2023 through two phases: re-contact of male participants from the Growing Up Today Study (GUTS) and targeted recruitment through Michigan Medicine to enhance racial and ethnic diversity. Fathers complete surveys annually for up to three years (T1–T3), with parallel data collected from co-parents across many domains. A unique feature of the cohort is linkage to prospectively collected preconception data from GUTS spanning adolescence through adulthood (1996–2021). Findings to date: Results demonstrate links between boys’ diet and physical activity trajectories during adolescence and their food and physical activity parenting practices as fathers. In particular, more positive health behavior trajectories across the adolescent period (i.e., consistently healthy behaviors or improving health behaviors) were associated with more supportive food and physical activity parenting practices as fathers. Other findings include bidirectional associations between fathers’ food parenting and children’s dietary behaviors and that children’s diets were healthiest when both parents (fathers and their co-parents) use structure-based food practices. Conclusion: The F&F study addresses critical gaps in understanding fathers’ roles in shaping child health and family well-being. With multi-informant assessments of parenting, co-parenting, and child behaviors, and prospective linkage to preconception data, F&F provides a unique life-course resource to inform father-inclusive research and family-centered interventions.
Publisher DOI
Associations between father-mother food parenting practices and children’s dietary intake
Public Health Nutrition · 2026-05-15
articleOpen access
OBJECTIVE: To examine whether the number of parents using high levels of structure or coercive control food parenting practices is associated with children's dietary intake. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis of father-mother dyads from the Fathers & Families cohort study. Fathers and mothers independently reported their food parenting practices and child's dietary intake. Multivariate logistic regression models estimated associations between the number of parents (0, 1, or 2) using high structure or coercive control practices and children's intake of fruit, vegetables, fast food, and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), adjusting for demographics and recruitment site. SETTING: United States. PARTICIPANTS: 474 father-mother dyads with a child aged 2-6 years. RESULTS: Structure, but not coercive control, was positively associated with vegetable intake. Compared with none, having one parent report high structure increased the odds of children consuming vegetables >once/day (aOR=2.09; 95%CI:[1.06, 4.54]); associations were stronger when both parents reported high structure. Structure was also associated with lower fast food and SSB intake frequency. Compared with none, having one parent report high structure increased the odds of children consuming fast food <once/week (aOR=1.79; 95%CI:[1.23, 2.62]) and limiting SSBs to <once/week (aOR=1.52; 95%CI:[1.03, 2.23]); associations were stronger when both parents reported high structure. Compared with none, high coercive control by one (aOR=0.69; 95%CI:[0.49, 0.96]) or both parents (aOR=0.57; 95%CI:[0.33, 1.00]) was associated with lower odds of limiting SSB to <once/week. CONCLUSIONS: Children's dietary patterns were healthiest when both parents used structure-based food parenting practices. Coercive control from one or both parents was associated with greater SSB intake frequency.
Publisher DOI
Men’s Physical Activity in Adolescence Predicts Their Physical Activity Parenting as Fathers
Academic Pediatrics · 2026-02-26
articleOpen access
Publisher OA PDF DOI
Men’s preconception diet quality patterns predict supportive food parenting practices: evidence from a longitudinal cohort study
International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · 2026-05-01
articleOpen access
BACKGROUND: Food parenting practices play a vital role in shaping children's food intake, yet evidence linking fathers' earlier diet patterns to later parenting is limited. This study examined the association between fathers' diet quality patterns during their adolescence and food parenting practices during fatherhood. METHODS: Data were drawn from Fathers & Families (F&F), a father-based cohort that recruited participants from an ongoing cohort in the United States that has followed participants since adolescence. Participants (n = 584) reported their dietary intake during adolescence (ages 10-18) using a Youth/Adolescent Food Frequency Questionnaire across multiple survey waves (1996-2011), and reported their food parenting practices using an online survey completed in 2021-2022. Fathers' diet quality patterns during their adolescence were derived from Healthy Eating Index-2020 (HEI-2020) scores using sequence analysis and hierarchical clustering. Associations between these adolescent diet quality patterns and food parenting practices (coercive control, structure, autonomy support) were estimated with ordinal logistic regression, adjusting for sociodemographic covariates and family meal frequency measured during adolescence. RESULTS: Three diet quality patterns were identified in adolescence: Low HEI-2020 (50.0%), Declining HEI-2020 (36.5%), and Increasing HEI-2020 (13.5%). Compared to those with Low HEI-2020, fathers demonstrating Increasing HEI-2020 had higher odds of using supportive food parenting practices with their preschool-aged children including higher use of structure-based food parenting practices (OR = 1.93, 95%CI [1.18-3.18]) and lower use of coercive control-based food parenting practices (OR = 0.57, 95%CI [0.36-0.91]). CONCLUSIONS: Improving men's diet quality during adolescence may have enduring benefits, promoting not only healthier adult eating patterns but also more supportive food parenting practices as fathers.
Publisher DOI
Fathers' reports of within-household vaccine decision making and young children's COVID-19 vaccination status
Vaccine · 2026-01-31
article
Publisher DOI
Fathers & Families study protocol
Figshare · 2026-04-13 · 1 citations
articleOpen access
Purpose: The Fathers & Families (F&F) Study was established to address critical gaps in understanding fathers’ roles in shaping young children’s health-related behaviors and family health. F&F integrates a family systems perspective with a life course framework to examine determinants and consequences of fathers’ weight-related parenting practices. Participants: F&F is a longitudinal cohort of 1,272 fathers of children aged 1–6 years and 582 co-parents recruited between 2021 and 2023 through two phases: re-contact of male participants from the Growing Up Today Study (GUTS) and targeted recruitment through Michigan Medicine to enhance racial and ethnic diversity. Fathers complete surveys annually for up to three years (T1–T3), with parallel data collected from co-parents across many domains. A unique feature of the cohort is linkage to prospectively collected preconception data from GUTS spanning adolescence through adulthood (1996–2021). Findings to date: Results demonstrate links between boys’ diet and physical activity trajectories during adolescence and their food and physical activity parenting practices as fathers. In particular, more positive health behavior trajectories across the adolescent period (i.e., consistently healthy behaviors or improving health behaviors) were associated with more supportive food and physical activity parenting practices as fathers. Other findings include bidirectional associations between fathers’ food parenting and children’s dietary behaviors and that children’s diets were healthiest when both parents (fathers and their co-parents) use structure-based food practices. Conclusion: The F&F study addresses critical gaps in understanding fathers’ roles in shaping child health and family well-being. With multi-informant assessments of parenting, co-parenting, and child behaviors, and prospective linkage to preconception data, F&F provides a unique life-course resource to inform father-inclusive research and family-centered interventions.
Publisher DOI
Visual abstract_De Oliveira 2026 et al. Men's preconception PA and PA parenting
Figshare · 2026-04-08
otherOpen access
Objectives: Examine whether men's historical patterns of adherence to physical activity (PA) guidelines during adolescence are associated with their PA parenting practices as fathers.Methods: Data were drawn from 565 fathers in the Fathers & Families study (F&F) followed since early adolescence. Analysis focused on men who had a child aged 2-6 years and self-reported at least two historical measures of PA (ages 10-24 years) and PA parenting practices (e.g., being active with the child and facilitating opportunities for activity). Men's patterns of adherence to PA guidelines during adolescence were identified using sequence analysis and hierarchical clustering. We examined associations between these patterns and PA parenting practices in fatherhood using ordinal logistic regression.Results: We identified four patterns of adherence to PA guidelines during adolescence: Consistently Sedentary (12.2%), Early Active (18.2%), Late Active (34.2%), and Consistently Active (35.4%). Compared to men classified as Consistently Sedentary during adolescence, men classified as Late Active (OR = 1.81; 95%CI: 1.05-3.16) or Consistently Active (OR = 2.72; 95%CI: 1.57-4.76) had higher odds of engaging in supportive PA parenting practices as fathers. The PA parenting practices of fathers categorized as Early Active during adolescence did not differ from those classified as Consistently Sedentary.Conclusions: Men who consistently met PA guidelines during adolescence and those who became active later in adolescence were more likely to engage in supportive PA parenting practices as fathers. Results highlight the importance promoting PA among adolescent boys and support calls for a preconception model of men's health.Keywords: Children; Longitudinal Study; Paternal Role; Preconception Health.
Publisher DOI
More Than Just Macros
Journal of the American College of Cardiology · 2026-03-01
articleSenior author
Publisher DOI

Frequent coauthors

Dianne Neumark‐Sztainer
University of Minnesota
35 shared
Alison L. Miller
University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
23 shared
Samantha L. Hahn
Central Michigan University
17 shared
Mary Story
Duke University
15 shared
Heidi M. Weeks
University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
15 shared
Alison Tovar
Brown University
14 shared
Jerica M. Berge
University of Minnesota Medical Center
13 shared
Nicole Larson
University of Minnesota
13 shared

Labs

Bauer Research GroupPI

Education

PhD, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health
University of Minnesota System
2010
MS, Health and Social Behavior
Harvard School of Public Health
2002
BA, Department of Psychology
Oberlin College
1998

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