As parenting roles evolve and father figures in children’s lives are increasingly diverse —biological, adoptive, caregivers and grandfathers — it is more important than ever that fathers understand that their health is a key influencer in the health of their children and family.
Research indicates that becoming a father significantly impacts a father’s health. And a father’s lifestyle choices and involvement in their child’s healthcare, both mental and physical, significantly improves their child’s health, development, social and emotional outcomes from preconception through childhood — and has an impact on school performance.
So, why does research show that many men do not prioritize their health when they become fathers and are raising their family?
According to research in 2023 by Derrick Griffith and Elizabeth C. Stewart, when they led the Center for Men’s Health at Vanderbilt University, fathers can view health not in terms of going to the doctor, eating vegetables or exercise, but how they hold a job, provide for their family, protect and teach their children and belong to a community or social network.
“However, it is vital for fathers to know that from the start that they shape their children’s health in significant ways,” says James Muchira, an assistant professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing who studies how heart disease risks are transmitted across generations. “Their involvement is key.”
How does Dad’s health affect his child’s health?
Research suggests that a father’s lifestyle can have lasting effects on a child’s health, including metabolic health, into adulthood. Dads need to be the example, as their interaction with their children directly affects the family. And fathers’ health behaviors such as immunization have direct effects on infant and child risk. Unhealthy habits in fathers may be especially impactful while health-conscious fathers may benefit families and children.
There is also a small but growing body of literature on fathers showing that, cognitively, children who have involved fathers have better linguistic abilities, higher academic readiness and, ultimately, higher academic achievement. Socioemotionally, children also have better coping skills, show more maturity and more prosocial behaviors and have secure attachments. In recent studies with expectant and new parents, fathers want to be involved in prenatal and pediatric care, and this participation is meaningful to fathers. However, some fathers feel uncertain of how to engage in care, especially in the younger years of their child’s life.
According to topic expert and a leading dad’s health researcher, Craig Garfield, M.D., associate professor in pediatrics and medical social sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a pediatrician at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital and Northwestern Memorial Hospital, children thrive when parents thrive. Dad’s health affects children’s health, and children’s health affects Dad’s health.
Dr. Michael Yogman, assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, says a father’s influence is unique, complementing but not being redundant with a mother’s role. Yogman was lead author of a 2016 American Academy of Pediatrics report on fathers’ roles that said although mothers still handle most childcare, fathers are more involved than ever before and are big influences on how their children eat, exercise and play.
Fatherhood is a social determinant of health, according to JJ Parker, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. In other words, becoming and being a father has an impact on a man’s health. Consequently, a father’s lifestyle, including diet, exercise and weight, can influence a child’s likelihood of developing obesity and related health issues.
A father’s involvement in his child’s life and the quality of the father-child relationship are also linked to positive social-emotional outcomes in children, such as better emotional regulation, stronger self-esteem and reduced risk of risky behaviors. Parker says that fathers need alone time with their children to promote these positive relationships. Dads need to know how to take care of their children, play with them and put them to bed.
Health risks for fathers
Griffith and Stewart report that by age 45, heart disease and cancer are the leading causes of death for all groups of men. These chronic diseases can be prevented, to some degree, by not smoking, eating healthier foods and drinking less alcohol. Also, improving sleep, sitting less and moving more are important behaviors for good health.
But studies show that nearly two thirds of men avoid doctors, and 55% of men don’t see their doctor for regular health screenings. While there are many factors that can play into these statistics, regardless of the reason, it is crucial that fathers take good care of themselves, especially considering that heart disease is the leading cause of death in men; prostate cancer affects one in eight men, stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in men and men have higher rates of diagnoses of diabetes. In addition, dads are susceptible to high rates of depression, especially in the first five years after the birth of their first child when they can tend to gain weight after the birth of their children.
Pre-conception health of dads helps set the stage for a healthy family
What many men may not realize is that their health affects the health of their family and their children beginning at pre-conception. Research indicates it is important for men to become and stay engaged in healthy behaviors from pre-conception through the life of their child in both modeling and maintaining healthy behaviors, and that Dad’s support during pregnancy is associated with better health outcomes for both mom and child.
A father’s health before conception, including metabolic health and presence of chronic illnesses, can affect pregnancy outcomes like preterm birth and low birth weight. The preconception implications of dad’s health can also impact the genetic material being passed on to the child.
Healthy planning as a family
Parker suggests starting by making a plan for a healthy family together. Include both emotional and physical considerations, including individual time for interests and friends. How will good nutrition, exercise and sleep be prioritized? What things will you do together to promote a healthy family? And take away the misconception of mom’s health and father’s health — be inclusive and intentional with the idea of family health.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Women’s Health also suggests:
- Make the decision about pregnancy together. When both partners intend for pregnancy, a woman is more likely to get early prenatal care and avoid risky behaviors such as smoking and drinking alcohol.
- Male partners can improve their own reproductive health and overall health by limiting alcohol, quitting smoking or illegal drug use, making healthy food choices and reducing stress. Studies show that men who drink a lot, smoke, or use drugs can have problems with their sperm. These might cause problems getting pregnant. If smoking continues, it should be done away from Mom to avoid harmful effects of secondhand smoke.
- Dads should talk to their doctor about their own health, his family health history and any medicines he uses.
- People who work with chemicals or other toxins should be careful not to expose mom to them by changing out of dirty clothes before coming into the home and handling and washing soiled clothes separately.
New dad, new role and effects on health
When having a first baby, men are trying to figure out what their role is as they become a father.
“It is no surprise that parenthood is a social determinant of health,” says Parker. “While there is lots of focus on Mom and the life event she is experiencing, men experience new parenthood in significant ways as well. At home, they are consumed with caring for themselves, their partner, the new baby. And there are also the social stressors of managing going back to work too soon and the fatigue that comes with having a new baby.”
Parker suggests that it is important for parents to manage these stressors together. Talk about how they will manage their relationship and care for children. Consider factors such as that fathers often only have only a week for paternity leave and mothers only get between six to 11 weeks, sometimes with some of that being unpaid. And, for fathers who don’t have a flexible job, they may only be able to come to newborn nursery once and not again, and not be able to come to prenatal or pediatrician visits.
New fathers also experience elevated levels of depression during the transition to parenthood, which can affect parenting behaviors and child outcomes. According to Garfield’s research, depression can hit young fathers hard, with symptoms increasing dramatically during some of the most important years of their children’s lives. Depressive symptoms increased on average by 68% in the first five years of fatherhood for these men, all about 25 years old when they became fathers and living in the same household as their children.
“We found that for dads living in the house with the baby, that in the five years before they became a father, their depressive symptoms scores, which were measured at four different times across these 20 years, were decreasing. And once they had their baby, in the next five years, there was an increase in those depressive symptoms scores. And that increase in the depressive symptoms scores for the average participant in the study was about a 68% increase,” he says.
And it’s not just depression that can creep in; when men become fathers, body mass index (BMI) often rises, too. Studies have shown a correlation between paternal obesity and increased risk of obesity in children.
“What we found is that for men who are fathers who do not live with their child, on average they gained about 3.5 pounds after controlling for all other factors. Once a man becomes a dad, men who live with their children gain, on average, about 4.5 pounds.”
For new dads to have good health and combat the onset of depression and weight gain, Parker suggests Dad should make time for doing short, focused changes in lifestyle, such as physical activity for 15 minutes at a time, like walking with the baby; doing a video with strength and cardio; jog to playground with baby and do push ups/pull ups, and jog back home; maintain a healthy diet; cook more at home; limit screen time; prioritize sleep, limit alcohol and don’t smoke. Additionally, dads can couple these activities with active involvement in their baby’s health by prioritizing pediatrician appointments and taking notes on discussions and progress of their children’s health.
Practical tips for families
Start setting the example when kids are young
You are their example! Research indicates that a father’s physical activity level can be passed on to children, with physically active fathers potentially leading to more active children.
Elementary school ages are the years to really set the tone for a healthy, active lifestyle in a way that children can actively observe and model Dad’s behavior. Be active with your child! Play with them, coach their teams, enroll them in physical activity classes like swim lessons and then go swimming together to practice, and ensure good nutrition and prioritize good sleep habits. Don’t smoke or drink alcohol. These healthy lifestyle behaviors benefit everyone in the family, and Dad can use children as motivation to keep themselves and the family healthy.
Team up with teens and young adult children for good health
As children grow older, they increasingly see and understand the impact of healthy behaviors. Dads have an opportunity to reinforce the importance of living healthy and the impact that can have on long-term emotional and physical health. To have a dad that they can play tennis with, romp in the waves at the beach, go to the gym, hike or bike can help establish lifetime healthy habits.
Families can help dad stay on track
With both the mental and physical health of Dad so important to families, how can children and partners help encourage dad’s health and support him in that effort? And what can dads do to maintain and improve their health?
- Do healthy things together. Set aside time for family-centric healthy activities
- Prioritize healthy time: Sleep, cooking, physical activity
- Allow Dad time for himself to exercise and spend time with other men to maintain friendships and ward off loneliness and depression.
- Remove any barriers to father’s participation in their child’s health. Barriers may be related to beliefs about the fathers’ roles, provider behavior towards Dad, competing responsibilities or tension with the child’s mother.
- Encourage dad to get his annual health screenings based on his age and health:
- Annual
- Physical
- Blood pressure screening
- Cholesterol screening
- Blood sugar test
- Annual
- Age and risk based screenings:
- Prostate, colorectal cancer, lung cancer and skin cancer
- Vision and hearing tests
- Liver function
- Hepatitis B
- Thyroid profile
- Cardiac CT scan
- Mental health screening
Frequency of these checks depends on age and risk factors, but they are essential for early detection and prevention of health issues.
So dads, the next time you have the opportunity to spend quality time with your kids, make it count in ways that support the health of both you and them — and never forget that you play a big and important role in your child’s health.
Health Resources for Dad
- Your primary care physician
- American Heart Association
- American Cancer Society
- Inova Health System childbirth education classes, including Understanding Fatherhood e-class and New Dad 101
- Fatherhood Foundation of Virginia
- Men’s Health Network
- National Healthy Start Association
- National Fatherhood Initiative
- Postpartum Support International
Lisa Clough is a health journalist and Certified Health Education Specialist
