California, US

A new science study has established a link between fatherhood and potential cardiovascular problems later in life. The research, published in AJPM Focus, revealed that it becomes hard for fathers to maintain healthy lifestyle habits due to increased stress and responsibilities, leading to heart-related issues. It also recommended health officials and communities to look after fathers as they go through this transformational experience.

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"The changes in heart health we found suggest that the added responsibility of childcare and the stress of transitioning to fatherhood may make it difficult for men to maintain a healthy lifestyle, such as a healthy diet and exercise," the first author of the study, internist and paediatrician John James Parker from Northwestern University said.

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The above conclusion was reached after studying data collected from 2,814 men aged 45–84 over the period of 18 years.

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The result

Factors like measurements of blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose, body mass index, and smoking and eating habits in addition to self-reporting were utilised to assess the heart health of the men who participated in the study.

It was found that fathers generally had lower heart health than people who had never had children. Additionally, men who had become fathers at the age of 25 or younger had even worse heart health and higher death rates. This was particularly true for Black and Hispanic males.

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"A lot of times we focus on the health of mothers and children, and we don't even think of fathers, but their health has a major influence on their family," says Parker.

"To improve the health of families, we need to consider the multi-directional relationship among mothers, fathers, other caregivers and children."

(With inputs from agencies)