Fatherhood linked to lower mortality risk among Black men

Fatherhood in Black men is associated with lower rates of all-cause mortality by middle age compared to nonfathers, according to the U.S.-based longitudinal study that enrolled Black and White individuals aged 18-30 years at baseline (1985-86). This association was not observed in White fathers in the study. Findings were published in the American Journal of Public Health.

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. The potentially protective effect of fatherhood for Black men warrants further study to understand how and why this is the case."

John James Parker, MD, lead author, pediatrician and researcher at Lurie Children's and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Men who became fathers when younger than 25 years tended to have worse health trajectory, however. Black men who entered fatherhood early were at higher risk for all-cause mortality at follow-up decades later, whereas White men who had a child while young were more likely to have poor 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," said Dr. Parker. "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."

The study included 1,648 men with fatherhood data. Cardiovascular health was measured based on the American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 framework. The metrics consist of four health behaviors (healthy diet, participation in physical activity, avoidance of nicotine and healthy sleep) and four health factors (healthy weight, level of blood lipids, levels of blood glucose, and blood pressure).

In addition to Dr. Parker, authors from Lurie Children's included Craig F. Garfield, MD, MAPP, and Clarissa D. Simon, PhD, MPH, from the Family & Child Health Innovations Program (FCHIP). The program's goal is to advance children's well-being through understanding the roles of parents in a wide variety of family contexts, and how to enhance parents' contributions to children's health and development.

The study was supported by the National Heart, Lung, And Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number K23HL179465.