What about Dad? Recent research has shown that children of a highly-involved male parent show increased cognitive competence, greater empathy, and less sex-stereotyped beliefs. They have higher IQs, stronger verbal skills, are more academically motivated and successful, have fewer emotional and behavioural problems, show better emotional regulation, better social and problem-solving skills and greater overall life satisfaction. [2]

This project by Hanoi School of Public Health in collaboration with Brock and St. Jerome’s Universities in Canada aims to mobilize more fathers in parenting and involve them directly in the cognitive and emotional development of their infants, and to indirectly enhance infants’ nutritional status by having fathers encourage mother’s breastfeeding exclusivity and duration. In the intervention area, fathers’ involvement is being promoted by getting them participate in small group antenatal education and individual prenatal and postpartum at-home counseling, Fathers Clubs are being developed in collaboration with the local authorities, health workers, Farmers Association and Youth/ Women Unions to provide peer support. Community- activities include public loudspeaker mass media communication and light-hearted public fathering contests, organized with the assistance of the local Farmers Association and Youth Union, to praise and reward teams of fathers demonstrating good fathering knowledge and behaviours.

• 400 fathers have been recruited to participate in the intervention. 13 fathers will be trained to lead the Fathers Clubs and it is expected that 360 fathers will participate in the Fathers Clubs.
• Expected that approximately 10% of fathers report more father-infant interaction and attachment in intervention compared to control group fathers at 1, 4, 6, and 9 months of infant age.
• Expect a 10% Increase in exclusive breast feeding at 1, 4, and 6 months.
• Expect 7% more children in intervention group will have improved development (gross and fine motor skills, cognitive, language, and socio-development scales) as compared to control group.

Funders

• Grand Challenges Canada
• St. Jerome’s University, Canada

Key Drivers

• Support from the administration at the District Health Centres
• Doctors, nurses, and midwives are supportive of the concept of increasing father involvement
• Health workers, Farmers Union, Women’s Union, and Youth Union are supportive of Fathers Clubs
• Fathers consider the father-infant relationship calendar to be an interesting and valuable resource

Challenges

• Fathers’ work commitments sometimes make it difficult to schedule visits with the fathers.
• Commune health worker time constraints and the need for visits to occur outside of regular working hours may limit sustainability.

The intervention is being evaluated with a quasi-experimental non-equivalent control study (cohort type).

A baseline survey was conducted with all mothers and fathers upon recruitment.

Follow-up surveys will be conducted with all mothers and fathers at 1, 4, and 9 months postpartum.

Mothers-only outcome measures

• Breastfeeding practices (also at 6 months).
• Infant illnesses.

Fathers-only process measures

• Breastfeeding & father involvement beliefs, knowledge, attitudes.

Mothers and fathers process measures

• Father infant interaction, attachment.
• Father breastfeeding influence.
• Relationship quality.

Infant development will be assessed when the infants are 9 months old using:

• Developmental Milestones Checklist II
• Height, weight, head circumference

Baseline child development district equivalence study

• 114 9-month-old infants from the intervention district and 129 from the control district were assessed in May 2014 to determine whether there were significant differences in Infant height, weight, head circumference and development.
• Development was assessed using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire 9-month questionnaire completed by the mother.

We expect that children will demonstrate increased physical, nutritional, emotional, and cognitive health and development because of more engaged and effective father involvement and investment in the wellbeing of mothers and infants.

1. Allen, S. & Daly, K. (2007) The effects of father involvement: An updated research summary of the evidence inventory. Guelph, ON: University of Guelph. Retrieved from www.fira.uoguelph.ca.
2. Lamb, M. E. (2010). How do fathers influence children’s development? Let me count the ways. In M.E. Lamb (Ed.), The role of the father in child development (5th edition, pp. 1-26). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.