(P37-32-26) Dietary Intake Quality and Nutrient Adequacy in Young Adult Men During the Transition to Fatherhood: An Analysis of the Dad Bod Longitudinal Cohort Study

Objectives: >The transition to fatherhood represents a pivotal life stage during which health behaviors may shift substantially due to changing routines, increased responsibilities, and psychosocial stressors. Yet little is known about how these changes affect the dietary intake of prospective fathers. This study aimed to characterize dietary quality and nutrient adequacy in first-time prospective fathers in the Dad Bod Study, an ongoing longitudinal cohort examining fathers' cardiovascular and psychosocial health across the transition to fatherhood.

Methods: First-time expectant fathers aged 19-39 years were enrolled during their partner's second or third trimester. Dietary intake was assessed at baseline and 1-month postpartum using Diet ID, a validated, self-administered photo-based dietary assessment tool. Nutrient adequacy was evaluated against the Dietary Reference Intakes for men 19–39, including the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) and Adequate Intake (AI), and the 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), and diet quality was measured using the Healthy Eating Index-2020 (HEI-2020). Within-subject changes from baseline to 1-month postpartum were assessed by Wilcoxon signed-rank tests.

Results: Of 118 enrolled participants, 114 had complete dietary data (mean age 33.0 ± 3.3 years; 54.2% White, 32.2% Asian, 15.3% Hispanic/Latino, 8.5% multiracial, 4.2% Middle Eastern/North African, and 2.5% Black or African American). Mean HEI-2020 at baseline was 66.3 ± 22.1 and did not change significantly at 1-month postpartum (mean difference −1.7, p=0.68). Nutrients commonly below recommendations included vitamin D (94.7% below RDA), dietary fiber (65.8% below AI at baseline, further declining postpartum), choline (57.9% below AI), and vitamin E (48.2% below RDA). Sodium intake was high, with 87.7% exceeding 2,300 mg/day (mean 3,841 mg/day), showing no significant change over time.

Conclusions: Diet quality among first-time fathers was generally suboptimal, with widespread nutrient inadequacies and excessive sodium intake. The transition to fatherhood may therefore be a critical window for interventions aimed at improving dietary patterns to support paternal and family health.

Funding Sources: This work was supported by the American Heart Association Career Development Award (24CDA1258755).