‘We are doing our best’: African and African-Caribbean fatherhood, health and preventive primary care services, in England

Abstract

Recent policy pronouncements emphasise the importance of engaging fathers with preventive primary care services. However, in England, there is a paucity of literature which examines African and African-Caribbean fathers' experiences of service provision. This paper reports a study that investigated African and African-Caribbean fathers' beliefs about fatherhood, health and preventive primary care services, with the aim of addressing the deficit in the literature. Nine focus groups involving 46 African and African-Caribbean fathers, recruited using purposive sampling, were undertaken between October 2008-January 2009. Fatherhood was seen as a core aspect of the participants' identities. The fathers enacted these identities in a number of ways, such as caring for and protecting children, which were influenced by spirituality, relationships with women, paid work and racism. The fathers had concerns about their bodies, medical conditions, physical activity and forms of consumption. However, their primary focus was on maintaining and improving the well-being of their children. This resulted in them neglecting their own health needs as they had to meet the obligations of family life and paid work. The fathers reported limited contact with preventive primary care services and were unaware of their purpose, function and availability. They identified ethnicity as a positive asset, and felt their families and communities had particular strengths. However they acknowledged that structural constraints, including racism, influenced their perceptions of and access to local health services. The engagement of African and African-Caribbean fathers needs to be addressed more specifically in policy as part of a broader programme of action to tackle health inequalities. In addition, child health services could build on fathers' commitment to children's well-being through practice that addresses fathers' as well as mothers' needs in families.

A qualitative exploratory study of UK first-time fathers’ experiences, mental health and wellbeing needs during their transition to fatherhood

“…They were willing to approach and use health services but were unsure if this was appropriate or if the health professionals they consulted would have the relevant skills and knowledge base to deal with fathers’ mental health. That new fathers feel excluded by health professionals and unable to access appropriate information has been previously reported 24 30–35. Questioning the knowledge-base of family doctors and health visitors in relation to fathers’ mental health reported in this study was highlighted by Rowe et al , in an Australian study of 22 women and 16 men, where fathers suspected that the primary care health professionals were ‘not qualified to emotionally help you’ because their training prepared them to treat physical not mental illnesses (Rowe et al, p50, 51)[36].…”

Mental health and wellbeing during the transition to fatherhood: a systematic review of first time fathers’ experiences

“…34-36 Research into the role of health visitors (public health nurses in the UK) found that they do not involve fathers in routine contacts 37 and were perceived by some fathers as a service provided “by women, for women”. 38 A Department of Health for England funded literature review on service users’ views suggested that some fathers welcomed the opportunity to express their feelings and emotions about fatherhood when asked by a healthcare professional, 39 but did not always have the opportunity to do this spontaneously. 40…”

Minority Health Perceptions in the Lower Mississippi Delta: A Grounded Theory Study Using PhotoVoice Methodology

“…Although the Pillars of the Ideal Healthy Community are a new framework, the individual pillars have all been identified as important to improving community health in prior research (Beydoun & Wang, 2008;Carver et al, 2008;Connell et al, 2007;Haskell et al, 2007;Perry et al, 1988). The core category, Hope for a Healthy Future, also aligned with existing research on health perceptions among minorities (Maton & Wells, 1995;Williams, Hewison, Stewart, Liles, & Wildman, 2012).…”

“…In a qualitative study on the health perceptions of African fathers living in England, researchers asked participants about their perceptions related to fatherhood, health, and healthcare (Williams et al, 2012). The researchers found that participants were optimistic about the health of their children, and they were trying their hardest to be good fathers and to instill healthy habits in their children.…”