Evaluating the Relationship Between Adolescent Fatherhood and Routine Health Care in a Nationally Representative Sample: A Descriptive, Cross-Sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION

This study evaluates whether fatherhood status is associated with receipt of preventive care (i.e., a routine physical) among adolescent males and whether attending their child's appointments is associated with greater odds of preventive care.

METHOD

This study is a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data collected from the 2011-2017 National Survey of Family Growth. The sample consisted of 3,831 males aged 15-21 years. Logistic regression models were constructed to assess the odds of having a routine physical in the previous year.

RESULTS

Adolescent fatherhood (adjusted odds ratio = 0.56, 95% confidence interval = [0.32, 0.99]) was associated with reduced odds of having a routine physical in the previous year. Attending a child's appointment was not associated with having a routine physical in the previous year (adjusted odds ratio = 0.18, 95% confidence interval = [0.01, 2.31]).

DISCUSSION

Having a child is associated with foregoing routine physical care in the previous 12 months. Elucidating barriers may inform interventions to increase the uptake of preventive care for adolescent fathers.