A new U.S. study published in the American Journal of Public Health found that Black men who became fathers had lower rates of all-cause mortality by middle age compared to Black men who did not become fathers. The same association was not observed among White fathers.
Researchers followed Black and White participants who were between 18 and 30 years old when enrolled in the study in 1985 and 1986.
“Fatherhood is increasingly recognized as a social influencer of health, but we were surprised to uncover racial differences in health outcomes of fathers, especially in relation to early death,” said lead author Dr. John James Parker, pediatrician and researcher at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
“The potentially protective effect of fatherhood for Black men warrants further study to understand how and why this is the case,” Parker said.
Early Fatherhood Associated with Health Risks
The study also found that becoming a father before the age of 25 was associated with poorer health outcomes later in life. Black men who entered fatherhood at a younger age were found to have a higher risk of all-cause mortality at follow-up decades later. White men who became fathers before age 25 were more likely to experience poorer cardiovascular health as they aged.
“Our finding that becoming a father at a young age placed men at risk for worse health in the long-term supports previous research,” Parker said.
“It also highlights an important opportunity to intervene with young fathers, to educate them about behaviors that promote health and offer social supports. Ultimately, we need to raise awareness among young fathers that their health impacts the well-being of the entire family.”
Measuring Long-Term Health
The study included 1,648 men with available fatherhood data. Researchers assessed cardiovascular health using the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 framework, which evaluates healthy diet, physical activity, avoidance of nicotine, healthy sleep, healthy weight, blood lipid levels, blood glucose levels, and blood pressure.
The research was conducted by scientists affiliated with the Family & Child Health Innovations Program (FCHIP) at Lurie Children’s Hospital.
The program focuses on understanding how parents contribute to children’s health and development across a variety of family structures and circumstances.
The authors say additional research is needed to understand why fatherhood appears to have different health associations among Black and White men and how support systems for young fathers might improve health outcomes over the long term.
