Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36927694›Full record

SynthesisBMC public health2023

Paternal preconception modifiable risk factors for adverse pregnancy and offspring outcomes: a review of contemporary evidence from observational studies.

Tristan Carter, Danielle Schoenaker, Jon Adams, Amie Steel

Open access · goldFull text readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC public health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 50 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
50citing papers in PubMed, 8 pooled it
41.8field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

50 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 72 citations in OpenAlex.

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  3. Risk Factors in the First 1000 Days of Life Associated With Childhood Obesity: A Systematic Review and Risk Factor Quality Assessment.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2026
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  7. Preconception indicators and associations with health outcomes reported in UK routine primary care data: a systematic review.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2025
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  10. The Preconception Health and Health Behaviors of Australian First-Time Fathers: A Cross-Sectional Study.Health education & behavior : the official publication of the Society for Public Health Education · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Tristan CarterSchool of Public Health, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, 2006, Australia. Tristan.c.carter@student.uts.edu.au.
Danielle SchoenakerSchool of Primary Care, Population Sciences and Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
Jon AdamsSchool of Public Health, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, 2006, Australia.
Amie SteelSchool of Public Health, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, 2006, Australia.
University of Technology Sydney · AUNIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe preconception period represents transgenerational opportunities to optimize modifiable risk factors associated with both short and long-term adverse health outcomes for women, men, and children. As such, preconception care is recommended to couples during this time to enable them to optimise their health in preparation for pregnancy. Historically, preconception research predominately focuses on maternal modifiable risks and health behaviours associated with pregnancy and offspring outcomes; limited attention has been given to inform paternal preconception health risks and outcomes. This systematic review aims to advance paternal preconception research by synthesising the current evidence on modifiable paternal preconception health behaviours and risk factors to identify associations with pregnancy and/or offspring outcomes.

methodsMedline, Embase, Maternity and Infant care, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus, and ISI Proceedings were searched on the 5

resultsThis review identified 56 cohort and nine case control studies. Studies reported on a range of risk factors and/or health behaviours including paternal body composition (n = 25), alcohol intake (n = 6), cannabis use (n = 5), physical activity (n = 2), smoking (n = 20), stress (n = 3) and nutrition (n = 13). Outcomes included fecundability, IVF/ISCI live birth, offspring weight, body composition/BMI, asthma, lung function, leukemia, preterm birth, and behavioural issues. Despite the limited number of studies and substantial heterogeneity in reporting, results of studies assessed as good quality showed that paternal smoking may increase the risk of birth defects and higher paternal BMI was associated with higher offspring birthweight.

conclusionThe current evidence demonstrates a role of paternal preconception health in influencing outcomes related to pregnancy success and offspring health. The evidence is however limited and heterogenous, and further high-quality research is needed to inform clinical preconception care guidelines to support men and couples to prepare for a health pregnancy and child.

Indexed as

Premature BirthBirth WeightChildFathersFemaleHumansInfant, NewbornLive BirthMalePreconception CarePregnancyRisk FactorsModifiableOffspring outcomesPaternalPreconceptionPregnancy outcomesRisk factor

Identifiers

PMID36927694
PMCPMC10022288
OpenAlexW4327554141

What Socratic holds

Textfull text, public
LicenceCC BY
measurements read419
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.