Efforts to reduce infant mortality in the United States have failed to incorporate paternal involvement. Research suggests that paternal involvement, which has been recognized as contributing to child development and health for many decades, is likely to affect infant mortality through the mother's well-being, primarily her access to resources and support. In spite of that, systemic barriers facing the father and the influence on his involvement in the pregnancy have received little attention. The Commission on Paternal Involvement in Pregnancy Outcomes (CPIPO) has identified the most important social barriers to paternal involvement during pregnancy and outlined a set of key policy priorities aimed at fostering paternal involvement. This article summarizes the key recommendations, including equitable paternity leave, elimination of marriage as a tax and public assistance penalty, integration of fatherhood initiatives in MCH programs, support of low-income fathers through employment training, father inclusion in family planning services, and expansion of birth data collection to include father information.
Historically, pregnancy and childbirth have primarily been considered a mother's responsibility, whereas the role of the father has mainly been that of the provider and breadwinner. Although a large body of research exists on a father's involvement in child health and development, little is known regarding the role of the expectant father in pregnancy outcomes (Commission on Paternal Involvement in Pregnancy Outcomes, 2010). Ethnographic studies have identified the male partner as a vital source of stress or support among pregnant women (Mullings et al., 2001). Hoffman and Hatch (1996) reported that partner support can modify maternal psychosocial stress, whereas others have revealed partner support to be associated with positive maternal health behaviors during pregnancy, including early prenatal care and decreased smoking and drug use (Teitler, 2001).Despite the fact that men are important to maternal and child health (MCH; Lu et al., 2010), men have not played a significant role in family planning, pregnancy, and childbirth nor have they had a place in reproductive health initiatives. Overall, little attention has been given to the health of men. Not only are men less likely than women to receive preventative health services, and have a regular doctor or source of care, but men are also less likely to have health insurance (Armstrong et al., 2010). This lack of attention to the health care needs of men and expectant fathers is further perpetuated during the preconception, prenatal, and perinatal periods as practitioners and health care providers are focused on providing maternal care, often missing opportunities to engage men and expectant fathers.In recent years, the fatherhood movement has received increasing public and academic interest. In 2009, President Obama started a National Conversation on Responsible Fatherhood and Strong Communities and created the Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. The Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships is helping in coordinating the Federal Government's fatherhood policy and has launched a national Fatherhood and Mentoring Initiative to encourage responsible fatherhood and strengthen our nation's families. Many other national efforts regarding responsible fatherhood do not address the health of men and exclude the role of men in family planning, pregnancy, and childbirth. Much still needs to be done to raise public awareness for paternal involvement in pregnancy and family health.In 2009, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, Health Policy Institute, convened the Commission on Paternal Involvement in Pregnancy Outcomes (CPIPO) with a grant from the Office of Minority Health in the Department of Health and Human Services. CPIPO is a transdisciplinary working group of scholars from the social sciences and public health community with a goal of reframing debates and informing research, policies, and clinical practice to focus more on the involvement of the expectant father in pregnancy outcomes. During a Congressional Hill Briefing ...
Obstetricians-gynecologists can play a greater role in promoting research, policy and practice to improve paternal involvement in pregnancy and childbirth.
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