University of California - Irvine Jun 4 2026 As obesity rates rise across the U.S., new research from Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health at the University of California, Irvine scientists draws attention to an often-overlooked factor in children's long-term health: fathers. Published in  Current Obesity Reports , the review examines how a father's health before and during parenthood-including obesity, diet, stress, mental health and lifestyle habits-can influence a child's risk for