Sajjad Khaksar - Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Faramarz Kalhor - Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Maryam Maroufi - Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.

  Poor oral nutrition is one of the important outcomes of hospitalization in children with respiratory disease, which may lead to insufficient energy intake. Deterioration of nutritional status during hospitalization affects clinical outcomes seriously. This study aimed to investigate the effect of an educational-supportive program for fathers on the eating behavior of hospitalized pediatrics with pneumonia in the COVID-۱۹ pandemic. Methods: In this clinical trial, ۴۰ children aged ۱۲ to ۳۶ months with pneumonia were selected together with their parents, after which they were randomly assigned to control and intervention groups. The intervention group received an educational supportive program face-to-face and virtually. Then, the father established an online video communication with the child and his mother as the main caregiver, while the control group received routine care. The data collection tools included the demographic questionnaire and the children's eating behavior questionnaire (CEBQ) completed by the mother during admission and ۷ days later. Results: The results of the study showed no significant differences between any of the demographic variables of the study (P > ۰.۰۵). The mean eating behavior of the two groups before the intervention was ۱۰۴.۲۵ ± ۶.۲۰ and ۱۰۵ ± ۶.۲۰, which were not significantly different (P = ۰.۷۰). However, the values of ۱۱۳.۲ ± ۶.۲۰ and ۹۶.۴۰ ± ۶.۲۰ were obtained after the intervention, indicating statistically significant differences (P <۰.۰۰۱). Conclusions: Planning and maintaining family integrity and educating and reminding parents of their role, including the fathers’ supportive role, can lead to the improvement of a child's eating disorder during hospitalization for pneumonia.

Education, Support, Fathers, Pediatrics, Pneumonia, Eating behavior