A large new study of parents in Canada found that single fathers have a higher premature mortality rate than single mothers or parents who are paired up. The study tracked more than 40,000 people for 11 years and found that single dads died soonest, and also had the least healthy lifestyles.

The study, which was published in The Lancet Public Health, could not ascertain what made single dads die sooner, but after adjusting for age, lifestyle, health and socio-demographic characteristics, their risk of death over the course of the study was more than twice as high as other parents.

The new study tracked 40,490 people who took part in the Canadian Community Health Survey. The average age was between 41 and 46, and the sample group included 871 single fathers, 4,590 single mothers, 16,341 dads and 18,688 mothers with a spouse or partner.

The researchers suggested that it’s possible that the fathers’ lack of access to social networks, social assistance and child support may have an influence on their health. However, the single dads’ survey responses suggested that they seemed to feel they were part of the community as much as other parents, and they seemed to be slightly more likely to go to the doctor regularly. Researchers suggested health professionals should be informed that these men might be at higher risk..