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Male partner involvement

Paternal age and neonatal health risks: a public hospital perspective from Peru

02 June 2025
Research
02 June 2025
Volume 33 · Issue 6

Abstract

Background/Aims

Although preconception care often focuses on maternal health, the father's role in care is equally crucial. This study aimed to determine the association between paternal age and adverse neonatal outcomes in a public hospital in southern Peru.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study examined data from the hospital records of 576 fathers (along with the mothers and newborns) at the Hospital Hipólito Unanue de Tacna in 2019. Association was measured using relative risk with a 95% confidence interval, adjusting for other variables.

Results

The fathers were 17–64 years old (mean 36.3±9.5 years), with most being 25–44 years old (67.0%). Fathers being aged <25 years (P=0.014) or >44 years was significantly associated with low birth weight (P=0.011).

Conclusions

Extreme paternal age was associated with low birth weight. These findings may have public health implications, as failing to include paternal age in risk assessments could lead to an increase in low birth weight.

Implications for practice

These findings highlight the need to consider paternal age in antenatal risk assessments, with the aim of early detection of complications such as low birth weight. It is recommended that perinatal care protocols be updated and community interventions be implemented to raise awareness about the reproductive risks associated with extreme paternal age, especially in vulnerable populations.

Evidence suggests that sperm undergo changes over time that can impact reproductive health (Jenkins et al, 2014; Parks et al, 2017; Yatsenko and Turek, 2018). A retrospective cohort study found that adolescent fathers had a higher risk of adverse neonatal birth outcomes, whereas no increased risk was linked to advanced paternal age (Navarro-Gomezlechon et al, 2023). An analysis of a prospective cohort from a Chinese hospital found an association between advanced paternal age and preterm birth (Yin et al, 2024). In contrast, a study of births in the USA showed no significant relationship between paternal age and outcomes such as preterm birth, fetal growth restriction or neonatal intensive care unit admission (Hurley and DeFranco, 2017).

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Infant
Low birth weight
Newborn
Paternal age