Fathers Count: The Impact of Paternal Risk Factors on Birth Outcomes

Objective To determine the contribution of paternal factors to the risk of adverse birth outcomes. Methods This is a retrospective cross-sectional analysis using birth certificate data from 2004 to 2015 retrieved from the Finger Lakes Regional Perinatal Data System. Primiparous women with singleton pregnancies were analyzed in the study. Two multivariate logistic regression models were conducted to assess potential paternal risk factors including age, race/ethnicity, and education on four birth outcomes, including preterm birth (PTB), low birthweight (LBW), high birthweight (HBW), and small for gestational age (SGA). Results A total of 36,731 singleton births were included in the analysis. Less paternal education was significantly related to an elevated risk of PTB, LBW, and SGA, even after adjustment for maternal demographic, medical, and lifestyle factors (P < 0.05). Paternal race/ethnicity was also significantly associated with all four birth outcomes (P < 0.05) while controlling for maternal factors. Older paternal age was associated with increased odds (OR 1.012, 95% CI 1.003-1.022) of LBW. Maternal race/ethnicity partially mediated the association of paternal race/ethnicity with HBW and SGA. Maternal education partially mediated the relationship between paternal education and SGA. Conclusion Paternal factors were important predictors of adverse birth outcomes. Our results support the inclusion of fathers in future studies and clinical programs aimed at reducing adverse birth outcomes.