Babies who look like their father when they are born are more likely to spend time with their father and, in turn, be healthier when they reach their first birthday, according to the reports. results of a study published in the medical journal Journal Heath economics.
Researchers at Southern Illinois University in the United States conducted research using medical data from the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being (FFCW) study, which looked at 715 families in which babies lived only with their children. mother. Data from the study showed babies who looked like their dad when they were born were healthier a year later, suggesting the dad-to-child resemblance made dad spend more time with their child – 2, 5 days more per month than fathers who did not look like their offspring.
A child’s health indicators improve when the child looks like the father
The main explanation is that frequent visits from dads allow parents to devote more time to care and education and to gather information on the health and economic needs of children.
“Fathers who perceive their resemblance to their babies are more certain that the baby is theirs and thus spend more time with it,” said Dr Polachek, economics research professor at Binghamton University.
Read also:
More early mortality among single fathers
Prematurity: fathers more stressed than mothers
Postpartum depression: men are also affected
