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Men Aged 15–44 in Need of Preconception Care

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Abstract

Objectives

Preconception care for men focuses on prevention strategies implemented prior to conception of a first or subsequent pregnancy to improve pregnancy and infant outcomes. Little is known about U.S. men in need of preconception care. This analysis describes the proportion of men in need of preconception care and associations of these needs by background characteristics, related health conditions, access to care and receipt of services.

Methods

Data from men aged 15–44 in the National Survey of Family Growth 2006–2010 were analyzed to describe men in need of preconception care, based on future childbearing intentions and self and partner fecundity status (among sexually experienced only), and associated factors with these needs using weighted bivariate analyses.

Results

About 60 % of men are in need of preconception care. Higher prevalence of being in need was observed among men aged 15–29 than older; living in urban than non-urban settings; in school than not in school regardless of working status; not in a coresidential union than married or cohabiting; who were recent immigrants than U.S. born; and reporting never having had a child than ≥1 child(ren). Men in need were overweight/obese (56 %), ever binge drank in the last year (58 %), and have high STI risk (21 %). The majority of men in need reported access to care in the last year (>70 %), but few reported receipt of services including STD/HIV testing (<20 %) or counseling (<11 %).

Conclusions for Practice

Findings from this analysis have implications for promoting preconception care among U.S. men.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge Caroline Moreau and Krishna Upadhya for their comments on a prior version of the manuscript. Support was provided by the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development (RO1 HD036948). The study sponsor had no role in the analytic design; collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; writing the report; and the decision to submit the report for publication.

Conflict of interest

None.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA

    Ifta Choiriyyah, Freya L. Sonenstein, Nan M. Astone & Jacinda K. Dariotis

  2. Department of Human and Community Development, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL, USA

    Joseph H. Pleck

  3. Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Departments of Pediatrics and Population, Family and Reproductive Health, School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health, The Johns Hopkins University, 200 N. Wolfe St, Room 2062, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA

    Arik V. Marcell

Authors
  1. Ifta Choiriyyah
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  2. Freya L. Sonenstein
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  3. Nan M. Astone
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  4. Joseph H. Pleck
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  5. Jacinda K. Dariotis
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  6. Arik V. Marcell
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Correspondence to Arik V. Marcell.

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Choiriyyah, I., Sonenstein, F.L., Astone, N.M. et al. Men Aged 15–44 in Need of Preconception Care. Matern Child Health J 19, 2358–2365 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-015-1753-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-015-1753-7

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