Parity and men’s mortality risks

Abstract Background: Most studies on associations between parity and mortality focus on women, and find a negative correlation or U-shaped pattern. If and why having children is associated with mortality among men is less clear. Our objective was to improve understanding of the association between men’s parity and mortality, and to investigate mechanisms potentially underlying this association. Methods: Analysis of baseline data (1991) from a prospective cohort study (the GLOBE study) with almost 17 year mortality follow-up among 4.965 men, aged 45 and over. Cox proportional hazard hierarchical regression models were used to link parity to mortality and to explore the role of SEP, health behaviors, and partner status. Results: Fathers of 2 or 3 children (HR 0.85; 95 % CI 0.74-0.99) and especially fathers of 4 or more children (HR 0.81; 95 % CI 0.69-0.95) had lower mortality risks compared to childless men. However, this association attenuated to non-significance after adding SEP, health behaviors, and partner status to the model. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that childless men have higher mortality risks in comparison to men who have fathered two or more children.