Paternal Preconception Health and Care in Australia: Health Behaviours, Health Beliefs, and Health Service Use

Carter, Tristan Cameron

Paternal Preconception Health and Care in Australia: Health Behaviours, Health Beliefs, and Health Service Use

Carter, Tristan Cameron

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Publication Type:: Thesis
Issue Date:: 2025

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Carter, Tristan Cameron
dc.date.accessioned	2026-04-10T03:34:11Z
dc.date.available	2026-04-10T03:34:11Z
dc.date.issued	2025
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/194631
dc.description	University of Technology Sydney. Faculty of Health.	en_US.UTF-8
dc.description.abstract	This research project explores Australian males’ preconception health behaviours, and beliefs, and intentions towards preconception care. A four-phase design including males in three distinct preconception period stages. Phase 1 incorporated a review investigating paternal preconception modifiable risk factors for adverse pregnancy and offspring outcomes. Phase 2 included analysis of preconception health behaviours for first-time fathers. Phase 3 covered preconception health beliefs and intentions of expectant partners. Phase 4 included the preconception health services utilisation of males planning pregnancy or attempting pregnancy. Phase 1 results reveal associations between paternal preconception smoking and increased risk of adverse infant outcomes. Phase 2 results report numerous males who became a first-time father were more likely to meet guidelines for daily safe alcohol consumption (85.7%) than other males (80.6%) p=0.002. Phase 3 results report the beliefs of expectant partners toward alcohol avoidance during the preconception period being associated with a greater intention to avoid alcohol. Phase 4 results reveal a significant proportion of males attempting pregnancy utilised western herbal medicine treatments (13.9%) compared with other males (5.7%) p=0.02. This research underscores the public health importance and necessity towards integrating males into preconception care strategies to adequately enable their future preconception health engagement, awareness, and education.	en_US.UTF-8
dc.format	Thesis (PhD)
dc.language.iso	en_US	en_US.UTF-8
dc.relation	https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/bitstream/10453/194631/1/thesis.pdf
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.rights	The author owns the copyright in this thesis including all reproduction and reuse rights for the work. The work may not be altered without the permission of the copyright owner. Attribution is essential when quoting or paraphrasing from this thesis.
dc.rights	© 2025 Tristan Cameron Carter
dc.rights	au.edu.uts.lib/cph
dc.title	Paternal Preconception Health and Care in Australia: Health Behaviours, Health Beliefs, and Health Service Use	en_US.UTF-8
dc.type	Thesis
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*

Abstract:

This research project explores Australian males’ preconception health behaviours, and beliefs, and intentions towards preconception care. A four-phase design including males in three distinct preconception period stages. Phase 1 incorporated a review investigating paternal preconception modifiable risk factors for adverse pregnancy and offspring outcomes. Phase 2 included analysis of preconception health behaviours for first-time fathers. Phase 3 covered preconception health beliefs and intentions of expectant partners. Phase 4 included the preconception health services utilisation of males planning pregnancy or attempting pregnancy. Phase 1 results reveal associations between paternal preconception smoking and increased risk of adverse infant outcomes. Phase 2 results report numerous males who became a first-time father were more likely to meet guidelines for daily safe alcohol consumption (85.7%) than other males (80.6%) p=0.002. Phase 3 results report the beliefs of expectant partners toward alcohol avoidance during the preconception period being associated with a greater intention to avoid alcohol. Phase 4 results reveal a significant proportion of males attempting pregnancy utilised western herbal medicine treatments (13.9%) compared with other males (5.7%) p=0.02. This research underscores the public health importance and necessity towards integrating males into preconception care strategies to adequately enable their future preconception health engagement, awareness, and education.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/194631