Both mothers and fathers will be followed for at least 4 years, and in-home assessments of children's health and development will be carried out when the children are 4 years old. The research will follow a new birth cohort of approximately 4,700 children, including 3,600 children born to unmarried parents representative of nonmarital births in each of 20 cities and in U.S. The Fragile Families and Child Well-being Study is designed to collect information about the men who father children outside marriage and the nature of their relationships with their children and their children's mothers. (Author abstract modified) Numerous references, 9 tables. Policymakers are urged to build on existing commitments to encourage paternal involvement in the lives of children and to promote health care during pregnancy. Preliminary findings also reveal that a significant proportion of unmarried women engage in risk behaviors during pregnancy, such as alcohol or drug use, and do not obtain prenatal care during the first trimester. However, the majority of unmarried parents in Oakland and Austin do not have the financial resources to support their family. Most of the mothers would like the father to be involved with their children. More than two-thirds of the parents expect that they will marry their children's other parent and 80 percent of fathers supported mothers during their pregnancy. Preliminary results from Oakland, California and Austin, Texas indicate that unmarried parents are committed to their children and their children's other parent. The findings are expected to identify which policies are likely to influence parents and lead to positive outcomes for children. The survey will address the conditions and capabilities of new unwed parents, especially fathers the nature of the relationships in fragile families the factors that push new unwed parents together and pull them apart and the effects of parental capacities and public policies on the well being of children.
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