Parent-related risk factors affecting child health (on the results of a cohort monitoring study for 25 years)

The economic significance of the problem of preserving and strengthening the health of shrinking child population as an important component of reproductive, labor and human potential requires the search for and development of mechanisms to manage risk factors. We present sample results of a multi-year monitoring study of child health in the Vologda Oblast for 25 years of research (1998-2022). The purpose of our research is to evaluate the degree of risk to the health of preschool children caused by certain factors on the part of parents. The research methodology is the intracohort method of data analysis on 1,454 children from five cohorts (1998, 2001, 2004, 2014 and 2020 years of birth) by calculating the relative risk index. The scientific novelty is a comparative analysis of the influence of age, health and hazardous working conditions of future parents on the child health in the pre- and postnatal period. We have found that young maternal age is often a risk factor for child health, while mature maternal age increases the risk of cesarean section and delayed neuropsychological development in children by the age of 7. In contrast, father’s young age acts as a protective factor during intrauterine child development, but increases the risk of disease development in the future. Mature father’s age creates risks of congenital abnormalities of the cardiovascular system, but its negative effect is mitigated later on. We assume that the reason for this lies in the higher level of material wealth, medical literacy, and responsibility of aging parents. Parents’ hazardous working conditions have a deleterious effect on the child health after birth, and on the maternal health in the prenatal period as well. A complicated obstetric history of previous and current pregnancies is the most significant risk factor on the maternal part. Her chronic diseases showed no association with abnormalities in the child health, the exceptions are obesity and thyroid dysfunction. In contrast, father’s complicated obstetric history demonstrates a strong association with intrauterine fetal development disorders, the use of surgical childbirth, congenital abnormalities, the low Apgar score for the newborn, and child’s disease in the future. Practical significance of the work lies in emphasizing father’s role in the formation of child health and preparing recommendations for the prevention of child health disorders taking into account the data on the risk factors of both parents.