According to recent research from scientists at Northwestern University and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, being a father may put men at greater risk of having poor heart health later in life.
A study of 2,814 men aged 45 to 84 found that fathers had poorer cardiovascular health in later life compared to men without children. Researchers assessed participants’ heart health by evaluating their diet, physical activity, smoking status, weight, blood pressure, and levels of blood lipids and glucose.
“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,” said corresponding author Dr. John James Parker, an internist, pediatrician and assistant professor of pediatrics and general internal medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
“We really need to study fathers as a unique population and track men’s health outcomes as they become fathers. Cardiovascular health is especially important since the health behaviors and factors are all modifiable.”
The study was published June 4 in the journal AJPM Focus.
Fathers have worse heart health but lower death rates
While the study showed fathers tended to have poorer heart health in later years, they also had lower overall mortality rates compared to men without children. According to Parker, this may be due to stronger social support systems often found among fathers. Social connection is a powerful factor in long-term health and has been consistently linked to lower risk of death—reminding us that emotional and relational well-being plays a key role in overall wellness.
“Fathers may also be more likely to have someone as their future caretaker (i.e., their children) to help them attend medical appointments and manage medications and treatments as they get older,” Parker said. “We also found that fathers had lower rates of depressive symptoms than nonfathers, so mental health may be contributing to the lower age-adjusted death rates in fathers.”
The study included men who self-identified as Black, Chinese, Hispanic, or White. Among these groups, Black fathers were the only subgroup to show a lower age-adjusted death rate compared to their counterparts without children.
“Fatherhood may be protective for Black men,” Parker said. “Maybe becoming a father helps promote a healthy lifestyle for Black men. Studying this association further could have important public health implications.”
Heart health was worse for men who became fathers before the age of 25.
Unlike earlier research, which often lacked diversity and comprehensive cardiovascular assessments, this study stands out for including racially and ethnically diverse men from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). It also explored how the age of becoming a father impacts heart health, finding that men who became fathers at 25 or younger—particularly Black and Hispanic men—had poorer cardiovascular health and higher mortality rates, highlighting the need for targeted clinical and public health support for these groups.
“If you’re under 25, you may be less financially stable, your brain may be less mature, and, especially for racial and ethnic minorities, you may have lower-paying jobs with fewer benefits and limited leave policies,” Parker said. “All of this can make it harder to focus on your health. There are a lot of public health interventions for young mothers, but no one has ever really looked at young fathers in this way.”
‘A father’s health has a major influence on their family’
Researchers noted that since most men in the U.S. are fathers, understanding how fatherhood influences health and disease—especially among men of color—has significant public health implications. Parker emphasized that while much attention is given to mothers and children, fathers’ health also plays a critical role in family well-being, pointing to evidence that health behaviors, like obesity, can affect partners. Improving family health, he said, requires acknowledging the interconnected roles of all caregivers.
The study revealed that fathers had higher smoking rates, which was unexpected since past research suggests many men quit smoking after having children. Parker noted this study focused on older fathers, so some may have quit earlier but resumed smoking later due to stress—raising concern, as smoking remains a leading cause of preventable death and affects family health. Researchers assessed cardiovascular health using the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 scores (excluding sleep) and classified men as fathers or nonfathers based on interview responses about their children.
Fathers play a vital role in shaping their family’s heart health by modeling positive habits, recognizing their own risk factors, and engaging in their children’s lives. By living a healthy lifestyle, managing stress, and staying involved in family activities, they can support both their own well-being and that of their loved ones.
This includes eating a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, limiting unhealthy fats and sodium, and exercising regularly.
Source: Northwestern University, revised