Project 7: Describing deaths among fathers in England during the 1001 critical days

Background

Pregnancy and the first two years of a child's life – often called the 1001 critical days – is an important period for family health and wellbeing. The death of a parent during this time can have particularly serious and long-lasting effects on families.

In the UK, detailed information is collected on all mothers who die during and after pregnancy to help understand why these deaths occur and how they can be prevented. Suicide has been identified as an important cause of maternal death. We know that suicide is more common in men than in women in the wider population, but there is very little national information about deaths by suicide or any other causes among fathers during the 1001 critical days. We also do not know how feasible it is to access and link the information we would need to investigate deaths among fathers during this period.

Aims and Objectives

We want to find out if it is possible to use national data to describe deaths among fathers in England during the 1001 critical days.

If this is possible, we will:

• estimate how many fathers in England die during the 1001 critical days
• identify the main causes of these deaths, including whether suicide is a leading cause
• examine whether some groups of fathers are more likely to die than others
• compare death rates in fathers with those in the general male population

Methods

We will explore whether it is possible to link (join) national data on births and deaths in England from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to identify fathers who die.

If this is possible, we will use the linked data to estimate how many fathers die during the 1001 critical days, identify the main causes of death, and investigate whether some groups of fathers are more affected than others. We will also compare death rates among fathers with those in the general male population.

Policy Relevance and Dissemination

This study has been commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care. It will provide national information about deaths among fathers during an important period for families. The findings will improve understanding of how common these deaths are, the main causes (including suicide), and whether some groups of fathers are at higher risk. This evidence will help inform policy and services to support fathers' health and wellbeing.

At the end of the project, we will write a report for the Department of Health and Social Care explaining the feasibility of using national data to describe deaths among fathers and describing our key findings. We will also publish a research paper and develop accessible outputs, such as an infographic or plain English summary, to share findings with government policy officials, other researchers, healthcare professionals and charities that support families.

Team

Principal Investigators: Kate Fitzpatrick & Gracia Fellmeth

Wider PRU team: Victoria Coathup, Maria Quigley, Fiona Alderdice, Claire Carson, Allison Felker, Alan Stein

Contacts: kate.fitzpatrick@npeu.ox.ac.uk & gracia.fellmeth@npeu.ox.ac.uk