Around Father’s Day, many dads may ask how they can play a more positive role in their children’s health and well-being. Arik Marcell and Brandon Allport, two Johns Hopkins pediatricians who have studied the issue, offer some answers.

How can fathers today influence their children’s health in positive ways?
Allport: Both parents play an important role in the general care of a child, but there are a few things specific to the father role that can be beneficial. For example, fathers tend to encourage a lot of physical activity. At a time when we see obesity rates in children rising, fathers are playing an important role in combatting this epidemic. They can also model healthy practices like not smoking and avoiding alcohol and drug abuse.

Marcell: Yes, even in infancy, fathers and mothers do things a little bit differently, but both are important for brain growth. There is a large body of literature that shows fathers who get involved even earlier, during pregnancy, have a very positive impact on the trajectory of the infant as he or she gets older.

What kind of activities positively affect a child’s health and well-being?
Allport: Fathers can do fun, engaging activities with the child, which could include reading with the child, singing with the child and playing with the child. For an older child, that could be engaging in sports-related activities. In addition, being responsive to the child’s needs is important. For an infant, that includes feeding the baby and changing the diaper; for an older child, that might be helping with homework and life skills. Appropriate discipline is another area in which fathers can play a positive role. Other important fathering activities include helping make family decisions and providing financial and material support.

Marcell: Fathers can also encourage more open communication with their children, so they understand how to give and take appropriately. Generally, it is the quality of the activity more than the quantity. Being engaged and responsive, and providing emotional support is more important than how many minutes or hours you spend with your child. 

Allport: One mnemonic that fathers can remember in engaging their children is the three T’s—tune in, talk more, and take turns. That is a good way to make sure your engagement time is high quality.

Are fathers today equipped to become more involved?
Marcell: When you ask dads, they say they want the best for their children, but many lack the knowledge to know what to do. Alternatively, they may have had a bad experience with their own fathers and consequently do not have many positive experiences to pull from. We are trying to develop a toolbox, called Text4Father, to help model how fathers can start early during the mother’s pregnancy and immediately after birth to be more engaged—times when fathers may think there is really no role for them. Being more engaged and supportive pulls parents together to take better care of their children and each other. Self-care is important, too; parental depression does affect children’s health and development.

Is the separated or divorced father limited in affecting his child’s health?
Marcell: Nonresidential fathers’ involvement may look a little different, but that does not necessarily mean they are not involved. Those fathers still have a very important role to play in the health of their child, regardless how old they are.

Can fathers be more involved with their child’s medical care?
Allport: Fathers may be more likely to engage with the child’s pediatrician if the practice shows that it values fathers as caretakers. This is especially important at the first visit. Clinicians should welcome the father and speak directly to him as well as the mother. If the parents are unmarried, separated or divorced, communication by both parents should still be encouraged, and the clinician should share written communications about the child with both parents. Also, clinicians can counsel the father to take advantage of policies such as the Family Medical Leave Act or flexible work schedules to make sure they have time to bond with the infant early.

What are the potential benefits of father involvement?
Allport: As early as 6 months of age, you can see cognitive benefits for babies who have involved fathers. Studies have shown that people who grew up with a father in their life are better adjusted and more socially adept. As mentioned, involved fathers can also make a difference in obesity rates, asthma control and adherence to medications for children with chronic conditions, which improves their quality of life. Early in infancy, fathers can also play a supportive role in encouraging the mother to breast-feed, which we know has positive effects for children’s health as well.

Marcell: Children with involved compared with uninvolved fathers demonstrate better cognitive, emotional, and social-behavioral development, as well as better physical health. Adolescents with an involved father are less likely to engage in risky behavior. In addition, they tend to have fewer emotional and mental health issues.