Expectant fathers' health behaviors, infant care intentions, and social-emotional wellbeing in the perinatal period: A latent class analysis and comparison to mothers.

ABSTRACT: While parental behaviors during the 'first thousand days' are critical for child health, little is known about fathers during this time. We examined prenatal patterns of health behaviors, social-emotional wellbeing, and infant care intentions among expectant fathers, both overall and compared to expectant mothers. Among 227 mother-father dyads enrolling in a randomized controlled trial of a perinatal obesity prevention program in Boston, Massachusetts (July 2020-July 2022), participants independently completed baseline surveys addressing (1) health behaviors, (2) social emotional wellbeing, and (3) infant care intentions. We compared paternal and maternal responses to survey items within each of these domains. Further, we conducted a latent class analysis of paternal responses and examined

SUBMITTER: Whooten RC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10500477 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature