Single fathers who bring up children suffer significantly poorer health than other parents, researchers warn today.
This is probably because the men maintain a personally unhealthy lifestyle while devoting time to their children, the Canadian researchers say.
About 10% of British families are thought to be headed by single fathers.
Researchers analysed the fate of more than 40,000 parents in Canada over a period of 11 years for the study, reported in The Lancet Public Health. These included 871 single fathers and 4,590 single mothers.
During the period of the study there were 693 deaths of parents and the researchers found that single fathers had a death rate three times greater than other parents.
However, the single fathers tended to be at greater risk than other parents at the start of the study, the researchers found. They were older and suffered greater rates of cancer and cardiovascular disease.
The researchers were unable to pick out a single leading cause of death affecting the men – but found they tended to have unhealthier lifestyles than other parents, including a tendency to binge drinking.
Researcher Dr Maria Chiu, of the University of Toronto, Canada, said: “Doctors’ appointments could be an opportunity for doctors to engage with single fathers to help them to improve their health. Research has shown that these conversations can help to motivate patients to adhere to treatment plans, make better decisions about their health, and influence their behaviour and recovery.
“Where possible, investing time in this way could be beneficial to help improve the health of this high-risk group.”
Writing for the journal Dr Rachel Simpson, of Oxford University, said a Swedish study had found a lower death rate among single fathers – but had also supported the finding of their increased mortality risk.
She says the Swedish research also found that single fathers had lower mortality rates than fathers who could not live with their children.
She writes: “From a public health perspective, health-care professionals should be made aware of this vulnerable group while further research is conducted to elucidate the reasons behind the increased risk of premature mortality in single fathers.”
Dr Maria Chiu et al. Mortality in single fathers compared with single mothers and partnered parents: a population-based cohort study
Lancet Public Health 14 February 2018; doi:10.1016/S2468-2667(18)30003-3 [abstract]
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