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Men who become fathers may be less likely to die young, according to a new study suggesting that fatherhood itself could have a protective effect on men’s health.

A research team at Northwestern University tracked 130,267 babies born in the U.S. state of Georgia in 2017 and examined whether their fathers died within the following five years, through 2022. The researchers found that becoming a father was associated with a lower overall risk of premature death among men.

The findings were published in the medical journal JAMA Pediatrics.

According to the study, men over the age of 20 who had children consistently showed lower mortality rates than men without children. Among men aged 30 to 34, for example, fathers had a mortality rate of 120 deaths per 100,000 people, compared with 231 deaths per 100,000 among childless men — nearly double the rate.

The researchers also analyzed causes of death listed on fathers’ death certificates. Of the 796 fathers who died before their child turned 6, 60.3% (480 men) died from preventable “unnatural causes” such as homicide, accidents, suicide or drug overdose.

Dr. Craig Garfield, who led the study, said fatherhood appears to provide a protective effect for men. Garfield also noted that many deaths occurring within five years of a child’s birth were from preventable causes such as accidents and suicide. He also underlined the need to address a blind spot in preventing the unnatural deaths that occur during the first few years after the birth of their child.

A pediatrician himself, Garfield emphasized the profound impact a parent’s death can have on young children, particularly during infancy.

He added that while maternal health after childbirth has received sustained attention and research, fathers’ health has been relatively overlooked and stressed the need for greater focus on paternal health.

This article from Kormedi.com, Korea’s top health care and medical portal, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.

Source: Korea Times News