Health Risk Behavior of Rural Low‐Income Expectant Fathers

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objectives: To assess expectant fathers' health risk behaviors and attitudes about pregnancy‐related health issues. Pregnancy may be viewed as a teachable moment : a time when women are receptive to health advice and take action to improve their health and the health of their babies. Pregnancy may also be a teachable moment for expectant fathers, although men's behaviors are rarely considered as part of prenatal care or in associated research. Design: Cross‐sectional prevalence study. Sample: Rural low‐income expectant fathers ( N =138) whose pregnant partners had enrolled in a Medicaid managed care health plan. Measurement: A telephone survey measuring five health risk behaviors, sociodemographic variables, and pregnancy‐ and behavior change‐related attitudes. Results: Analyses found the following: 49.3% smoked cigarettes; 30.4% engaged in hazardous drinking in the past month; 27.5% had very low physical activity levels; 94.9% had at‐risk fruit/vegetable intake; and 42% had weight‐related health risk (25.4% met body mass index [BMI] criteria for obesity). Further, 47.9% of the men engaged in three or more of five assessed health risk behaviors. Conclusions: This sample of expectant fathers engages in high rates of health risk behaviors. Failure to address the health risk behavior of men during prenatal care represents a missed opportunity to improve paternal, maternal, and family health.