Dads May Have Bigger Impact on Kids' Health Than Expected
New study finds fathers' early parenting behavior affects children's health more than mothers' behavior.
Scientists have discovered something surprising about families and health. They found that how fathers interact with their babies might affect children's health more than how mothers interact with them. Researchers from Pennsylvania State University studied many families over several years to learn this important information.
The study followed families from when babies were 10 months old until the children turned seven years old. Scientists watched parents play with their babies and recorded everything on video. When the children turned seven, researchers took small blood samples to check for health warning signs like inflammation and high blood sugar.
The results showed that fathers who paid less attention to their babies had more trouble working as a team with mothers. These dads would either pull back from family activities or compete with moms for their baby's attention. Children of these fathers showed more health problems at age seven.
Dr. Alp Aytuglu, who helped lead the study, was surprised by the findings. The research team expected both parents to affect their children's development equally. However, only the fathers' behavior seemed to impact the children's physical health markers in this study.
We of course expected that family dynamics, everybody in the family, fathers and mothers, would impact child development - but it was only fathers, in this case.
Comprehension quiz preview
1. How long did the researchers follow the families in this study?
2. What did researchers measure in the children's blood samples at age seven?
3. Which university conducted this research study?