Associations Between Paternal Mental Health and Child Obesity Using the National Survey on Children\u27s Health

Objective: To examine associations between paternal mental health status and childhood obesity outcomes. Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed from the 2018 National Survey of Children’s Health to analyze potential variance in childhood obesity between paternal and maternal mental health. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine effects on obesity in 11,394 children aged 10-17 years. Results: Children of fathers who reported fair or poor mental health had 10% higher odds of being overweight or obese than children whose fathers reported excellent, very good, or good mental health, while controlling for the effects of paternal physical health, and lifestyle, support, and demographic factors (AOR= 1.103; 95% CI: 1.097-1.110). Conclusions: We offer new information that shows a link between poor paternal mental health and childhood obesity