231983 Men and Fathers: The missing link for improving birth outcomes

Tuesday, November 9, 2010 : 9:00 AM - 9:15 AM

Michael C. Lu, MD, MPH , Department of Community Health Sciences and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of California Los Angeles School of Public Health and School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA
     
Methods: The Commission on Paternal Involvement in Pregnancy Outcomes (CPIPO) was convened in 2009 by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. CPIPO conducted a comprehensive review of the literature and issued research, practice, and policy recommendations to improve paternal involvement in pregnancy outcomes.

Results: Multiple barriers to paternal involvement were identified. These levels include intrapersonal (e.g. knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and human capital), interpersonal (e.g. partner relationship), neighborhoods and communities (e.g. unemployment and incarceration), cultural or societal (e.g. portrayals of fathers in media, racial stratification and institutionalized racism), policy (e.g. Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), child support enforcement), and life-course factors (e.g. paternal involvement growing up). In all CPIPO issued 40 recommendations to improve paternal involvement in pregnancy and parenting, such as amending Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to include paid parental (both maternal and paternal) leave, reforming EITC, TANF and child support, increasing access to preconception care for men, and developing more effective methods for recruitment and retention of fathers, particularly men of color, in research.

Conclusion: A key strategy to improving maternal and child health in the U.S. is to improve paternal involvement in pregnancy and parenting.

Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs

Learning Objectives:
1) To identify barriers to paternal involvement in pregnancy outcomes 2) To examine potential approaches to strengthen the role of men and fathers in improving pregnancy outcomes.

Keywords: Infant Mortality, Male Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I currently co-chair the National Commission on Paternal Involvement in Birth Outcomes for the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4047.0: Infant Mortality Disparities, a Story of Social Injustice: Peer Education Strategies for Infant Mortality Awareness and Prevention