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    Public Health Nurs. 2006 Jul-Aug;23(4):297-306.

    Health risk behavior of rural low-income expectant fathers.

    Everett KD, Bullock L, Gage JD, Longo DR, Geden E, Madsen R.

    Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri 65212, USA. everettk@health.missouri.edu

    OBJECTIVE: 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.

    PMID: 16817800 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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