Giving rookie dads the online info they really need
Montreal – Expectant and new parents often turn to the internet for parenting prep, but it turns out that dads often don’t seem to find the information they say they need about pregnancy, parenthood and routes to their own mental health and well-being. Now, a new study from a Canadian team led by the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) with funding from global men’s health charity the Movember Foundation highlights just what soon-to-be and new fathers want to see in a dad-focused website and how best to meet those needs.
Researchers found that despite the considerable time the fathers in the study spent on the internet hunting down information on pregnancy and parenting, most said the information was not tailored to them. The study looked at what specific information those men wanted and what they felt was lacking, so they could better provide this in a website designed for dads.
Dr. Deborah Da Costa
“We have used these findings to guide the development of HealthyDads.ca,” explains the study’s senior author Dr. Deborah Da Costa, scientist in the division of Clinical Epidemiology at the RI-MUHC and associate professor in the department of Medicine at McGill University. “HealthyDads.ca is a prototype website that we have been pilot-testing since 2015 with expectant fathers to promote their mental health and better prepare them for the transition to parenthood.”
The research team recruited 174 men in Montreal, Toronto, and Calgary over a six-month period and asked the expectant and new fathers to complete online questionnaires. The questionnaires measured the men’s needs related to psychosocial aspects of the transition to parenthood, lifestyle behaviours, parenting, and factors associated with the decision to visit a father-focused website.
The findings recently published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research indicate that men are seeking a broad spectrum of web-based information, including topics such as parenting/infant care, supporting and improving relationships with their partners, work-family balance, managing stress, and improving sleep.
“We know that the transition into fatherhood is a time of significant life change for men, and many may experience a decline in their mental health and wellbeing as a result,” adds Craig Martin, global director, Mental Health & Suicide Prevention - Movember Foundation. “It’s critically important we identify ways to address the needs of men in this group and this study will help find new ways to reach men with the advice and support at this critical time in their lives. The Mo Bros and Mo Sistas of Canada are making research of this nature possible and we are so proud of the positive change they are having upon men’s health.”
According to Dr. Da Costa, who is also a researcher from the Metabolic Disorders and Complications Program at the RI-MUHC, the results of this latest research can help sharpen the effectiveness and usefulness of e-health pregnancy and parenting information for men, giving rookie dads the support they need and making their transition to fatherhood smoother.
About the study
This study was funded by the Movember Foundation.
Da Costa D, Zelkowitz P, Letourneau N, Howlett A, Dennis CL, Russell B, Grover S, Lowensteyn I, Chan P, Khalifé S
Title: HealthyDads.ca: What Do Men Want in a Website Designed to Promote Emotional Wellness and Healthy Behaviors During the Transition to Parenthood?
J Med Internet Res 2017;19(10):e325
URL: www.jmir.org/2017/10/e325/doi:10.2196/jmir.7415
PMID:29021126
About the Movember Foundation
The Movember Foundation is the only global charity focused solely on men’s health, funding over 1,200 innovative projects across 21 countries supporting these critical areas: prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention. But our work is not done. Be the difference and go to Movember.com to donate or participate. Together we can stop men dying too young.
About the Research Institute of the MUHC
The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) is a world-renowned biomedical and healthcare research centre. The Institute, which is affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine of McGill University, is the research arm of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) – an academic health centre located in Montreal, Canada, that has a mandate to focus on complex care within its community. The RI-MUHC supports over 460 researchers and close to 1,300 research trainees devoted to a broad spectrum of fundamental, clinical and health outcomes research at the Glen and the Montreal General Hospital sites of the MUHC. Its research facilities offer a dynamic multidisciplinary environment that fosters collaboration and leverages discovery aimed at improving the health of individual patients across their lifespan. The RI-MUHC is supported in part by the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS). rimuhc.ca
Media contact:
Julie Robert
Communications Coordinator – Research
McGill University Health Centre
514-971-4747 (cell)
514-843-1560
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