Abstract P380: Fatherhood and Cardiovascular Health: The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study

Abstract

Introduction: Emerging literature links fatherhood to men’s health but lacks comprehensive investigation of associations with cardiovascular health (CVH). Hypothesis: Fatherhood will be associated with total CVH and individual CVH metrics. Methods: We included men from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study, a prospective cohort study which enrolled Black and White individuals aged 18-30 years at baseline (1985-86). CVH was defined using the American Heart Association's Life’s Essential 8 (LE8) scores (0-100) and was calculated at the year 20 follow-up examination to most accurately classify men’s fatherhood status. Multivariable linear regression tested for difference in total CVH and CVH metrics by fatherhood status (father vs non-father vs stepfather & living with children vs not) and age at transition to fatherhood; models adjusted for age, race, marital status, education, having a primary care clinician, income, current alcohol consumption & CESD depression score. Results: In this sample of 1026 men, mean age at LE8 assessment was 45.4 (SD=3.5) years, 720 (70.2%) were fathers, 243 (23.6%) were non-fathers, 63 (6.1%) were stepfathers, and 384 (37.4%) self-identified as Black. The mean age men became fathers was 29.2 years. In adjusted models, there was evidence of interaction between the age at fatherhood and race on total CVH score ( p =0.07). For white men, becoming a father at <20 years was associated with lower total CVH, compared with 30-34 ( p <.01) and ≥35 years ( p =0.02); this association was not found for Black fathers (Figure 1). In adjusted models, stepfathers had worse BMI scores than non-fathers (least squares mean 51.1 vs 64.3, p<0.01), but otherwise there was no difference in total CVH or CVH metrics between non-fathers, fathers, stepfathers, or men living with or without children. Conclusion: Fatherhood is a social determinant of health and understanding its influence may provide opportunities to improve men’s health, particularly among men who become fathers at young ages.