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Fathers Count: The Impact of Paternal Risk Factors on Birth Outcomes

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Abstract

Objective To determine the contribution of paternal factors to the risk of adverse birth outcomes. Methods This is a retrospective cross-sectional analysis using birth certificate data from 2004 to 2015 retrieved from the Finger Lakes Regional Perinatal Data System. Primiparous women with singleton pregnancies were analyzed in the study. Two multivariate logistic regression models were conducted to assess potential paternal risk factors including age, race/ethnicity, and education on four birth outcomes, including preterm birth (PTB), low birthweight (LBW), high birthweight (HBW), and small for gestational age (SGA). Results A total of 36,731 singleton births were included in the analysis. Less paternal education was significantly related to an elevated risk of PTB, LBW, and SGA, even after adjustment for maternal demographic, medical, and lifestyle factors (P < 0.05). Paternal race/ethnicity was also significantly associated with all four birth outcomes (P < 0.05) while controlling for maternal factors. Older paternal age was associated with increased odds (OR 1.012, 95% CI 1.003–1.022) of LBW. Maternal race/ethnicity partially mediated the association of paternal race/ethnicity with HBW and SGA. Maternal education partially mediated the relationship between paternal education and SGA. Conclusion Paternal factors were important predictors of adverse birth outcomes. Our results support the inclusion of fathers in future studies and clinical programs aimed at reducing adverse birth outcomes.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the support from the Regional Perinatal Center who manages the Perinatal Data System. YM was supported by the University of Rochester Clinical and Translational Science Award NRSA Training Core Grant TL1 TR 002000 from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinical and Translational Science Institute, University of Rochester, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY, 14642, USA

    Ying Meng

  2. School of Nursing, University of Rochester, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY, 14642, USA

    Ying Meng & Susan W. Groth

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  1. Ying Meng
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Correspondence to Ying Meng.

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Meng, Y., Groth, S.W. Fathers Count: The Impact of Paternal Risk Factors on Birth Outcomes. Matern Child Health J 22, 401–408 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-017-2407-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-017-2407-8

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