Got daddy issues? Fathers impact on perinatal outcomes
Heather L Brumberg1, Shetal I Shah1
1Division of Newborn Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, New York Medical College, Maria Fareri Children's Hospital at Westchester Medical Center, 100 Woods Road, Valhalla, NY 10595, United States.
Seminars in Perinatology
|April 11, 2020
Summary
Fathers’ health and behaviors significantly impact child development, from birth outcomes to long-term health and neurodevelopment. Supporting fathers is crucial for family well-being.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Health
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
Background:
- Maternal factors like genetics, environment, and social determinants heavily influence childhood outcomes.
- Emerging research highlights the significant, yet often overlooked, role of fathers in offspring health.
- Paternal contributions to child health span immediate birth outcomes to long-term development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the multifaceted impact of fathers on short-term birth outcomes, longer-term health, and neurodevelopment.
- To emphasize the interconnectedness of individual paternal traits and their influence on progeny.
- To identify key paternal factors affecting offspring health and explore proposed mechanisms of influence.
Main Methods:
- Literature review synthesizing current research on paternal contributions to child health.
- Analysis of factors including paternal demographics, race, stress, marital status, social support, mental health, and health behaviors.
- Examination of methodological challenges in paternal health research, such as reliance on maternal reporting.
Main Results:
- Paternal factors such as demographics, stress, support systems, mental health, and lifestyle behaviors are linked to offspring outcomes.
- Proposed mechanisms of paternal influence include genetic factors and the reduction of maternal stress through paternal support.
- Research faces challenges, including reliance on maternal reports for paternal information, complicating direct assessment.
Conclusions:
- Paternal health and behaviors are critical determinants of child health across developmental stages.
- Understanding and addressing paternal influences requires acknowledging complex, potentially interrelated mechanisms.
- Future public health initiatives should prioritize supporting fathers to enhance their capacity to promote family health and well-being.
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