Longitudinal study of body mass index in young males and the transition to fatherhood

Craig F. Garfield*, Greg Duncan, Anna Gutina, Joshua Rutsohn, Thomas W. McDade, Emma K. Adam, Rebekah Levine Coley, P. Lindsay Chase-Lansdale

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

40 Scopus citations

Abstract

Despite a growing understanding that the social determinants of health have an impact on body mass index (BMI), the role of fatherhood on young men’s BMI is understudied. This longitudinal study examines BMI in young men over time as they transition from adolescence into fatherhood in a nationally representative sample. Data from all four waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health supported a 20-year longitudinal analysis of 10,253 men beginning in 1994. A “fatherhood-year” data set was created and changes in BMI were examined based on fatherhood status (nonfather, nonresident father, resident father), fatherhood years, and covariates. Though age is positively associated with BMI over all years for all men, comparing nonresident and resident fathers with nonfathers reveals different trajectories based on fatherhood status. Entrance into fatherhood is associated with an increase in BMI trajectory for both nonresident and resident fathers, while nonfathers exhibit a decrease over the same period. In this longitudinal, population-based study, fatherhood and residence status play a role in men’s BMI. Designing obesity prevention interventions for young men that begin in adolescence and carry through young adulthood should target the distinctive needs of these populations, potentially improving their health outcomes.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)N158-N167
JournalAmerican Journal of Men's Health
Volume10
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2016

Funding

The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Craig F. Garfield’s effort was partially supported by grant K23HD060664 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Keywords

  • Fathering
  • Obesity
  • Population-based
  • Public health
  • Social determinants of health

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Health(social science)
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Longitudinal study of body mass index in young males and the transition to fatherhood'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this