By Dr. Levi Funches, assistant professor of clinical pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine
As Father's Day 2026 approaches, it is a great time to reflect on the importance of fatherhood to men, their families, and the communities they live in. One area in our community where we can highlight fatherhood more is in the arena of family health. We continue to need an increase in encouragement for fathers' presence in family health, for themselves and their loved ones. Many times, the focus is on maternal-child health when discussions occur about family health. If we just look at the name of a few programs for the healthcare of the family, including Marion County Public Health Department's Maternal and Child Health Division or the well-known WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) programs across the county. Providing the best care for women and children is vital for our community health needs, but to be more holistic I want to encourage us to look at all members of our community, especially in the family unit. Including fathers in the work, efforts, and care is crucial. This is key because fathers do care. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study in 2021 surveyed new fathers in Puerto Rico on engagement in their own health when expecting a child. Less than 50% of surveyed fathers had a healthcare visit during that time. However, more than 80% of them attended prenatal care visits (87%), were present at birth (83%), and purchased infant supplies (94%), indicating men are engaged and active in their families, and the prenatal period presents an opportunity to encourage men to increase attention to their own health and their role in their families' overall wellbeing.1
Also, a local focus group study amongst fathers about how they engaged with their health after becoming new fathers observed that men saw the importance of their role as a father and being a healthy father (demonstrating healthy routines and habits and working on self-improvement) was vital to their part in their family and their prioritization of the health of all members of their family, including themselves,2 encouraging us all to take advantage of fatherhood as a chance to help men and their families.
Actively supporting and engaging with men about their health and family health is important to strengthen men and their community. Because when fathers are engaged and active in their community, all of us benefit. The National Fatherhood Initiative has found that when fathers are active in children's lives, we observe improved cognitive skills, reading proficiency, and self-esteem of the child. There is also a concurrent reduction in risk of poor birth outcomes, poverty, food insecurity, and behavioral issues.3 Involved dads lead to a host of benefits for mothers as well, including higher likelihood of prenatal care, healthier births, lower parenting stress, postpartum stress and postpartum depression, and more leisure time for mothers and higher marital satisfaction.3 The benefits don't end there. The men benefit, too, with involved dads having better physical and mental health, less depression, increased self-esteem, and more involvement with civic groups. The men also have reduced alcohol and substance use and adopt a healthier model of masculinity.
Helping fathers and male caregivers impact their community is work that a community engagement workgroup that I am part of, the Marion County Public Health Department Fetal Infant Mortality-Review Community Action Team: Fathers Safe Sleep Workgroup, also known as D.A.D. (Dedicated, Active, and Devoted dads), is actively involved with supporting male caregivers. D.A.D. focuses on addressing Indiana's infant mortality rate (IMR). Indiana's IMR is higher than the nation's, but recent data has shown the rate has held steady for the last two years and did not increase. Work and active engagement with men around Indianapolis contributed to this outcome.
So, this Father's Day, as you take time to recognize your father and the men in your lives, ask yourself, "How can I shine a light on the wonders of fatherhood more than one day a year?" Is it making sure information on a child's health is shared with the dad, too, even if they are not present for the appointment or live in a separate home from their child? Maybe it's asking the pediatrician or the teacher at parent teacher conferences if it is okay to call or facetime dad so he can be in the meeting and appointment, too. It could also be asking new fathers about what they are doing for their own health and emphasizing the importance of their presence for their newborn child and family. We can all do our part to continue to work as we change the tagline from "Maternal-Child Health" to "Maternal-Paternal-Child Health" or "Parental-Child Health" as we continue to work for a fuller version of care for families and our entire community.
1. Salvesen von Essen, B., Kortsmit, K., D'Angelo, D.V., Warner, L., Smith, R.A., Simon, C., Garfield, C.F., Hernandez Virella, W., & Vargas Bernal, M.I. (2021). Opportunities to Address Men's Health During the Perinatal Period - Puerto Rico, 2017. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 69(5152), 1638-1641. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm695152a2
2. Vaughn, S.X., Funches, L., Smith, M., Fann, J. & Maxey, H.L. (2025). Engaging Young Dads in the Discussion of Family Health: Results from a Preliminary Study. American Journal of Men's Health, 19(3), 15579883251336485. https://doi.org/10.1177/15579883251336485
3. National Fatherhood Initiative. (2024). Father Facts: Ninth Edition. Germantown, MD: National Fatherhood Initiative.