BOSTON — Prenatal care providers are bypassing a “golden opportunity” to improve the long-term health of families by not addressing the health-risk behaviors of expectant fathers, according to Kevin Everett, Ph.D., of the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Pregnancy often is viewed as a “teachable moment” because women become receptive to and are more likely to follow health advice that could positively impact their children, and men's health-risk behaviors are rarely considered during this time, Dr. Everett said at the annual meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.
To better understand paternal health-risk behaviors and determine whether the inclusion of a prenatal care component focusing on reducing them would be favorably received, Dr. Everett and his colleagues conducted a telephone survey of 138 expectant fathers from rural, low-income families who were at least 18 years old and had consent from their pregnant partners.
The participants answered questions about their health behaviors, including tobacco use, problem drinking, physical activity, body mass index, and nutrition. Sociodemographic variables and ratings of health beliefs also were recorded.
The median age of the men surveyed was 27. They were predominantly white (87%), and more than half (66%) were high school graduates. Approximately 86% of the men were employed at the time of the survey, and nearly 62% were married to their partners. More than half of the study population (61%) reported being in “excellent” or “very good” health.
With respect to health-risk behaviors, nearly half of the men (49%) were smokers and almost one-third (30%) engaged in hazardous drinking. Most of the men (94%) were deemed to have poor nutritional habits, and approximately one-quarter were obese.
Ironically, Dr. Everett said, “many of the [respondents'] reported health beliefs are incongruent with these behaviors.” Nearly 95% of the men acknowledged the importance of a healthful diet. More than 98% knew smoking around children or babies was unhealthy, and nearly 90% reported that they thought it was not okay to drink alcohol around children.
Of particular interest was the respondents' receptiveness both to learning about potential health changes and implementing them, he said. Nearly 98% of the men expressed a willingness to change their own behaviors to help their partners change their potentially harmful behaviors. About 93% of the men were confident in their ability to make these changes, and 83% expressed a desire for getting information about making changes.
By not considering the health behaviors and attitudes of expectant fathers, “providers are missing an important window,” Dr. Everett said. “Health behavior changes made by men may be the critical factors for determining early and long-term family health by enhancing partner health behavior change.”