Barriers to and attitudes towards promoting husbands’ involvement in maternal health in Katmandu, Nepal

Mullany, Britta

doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2005.11.013

Cited by 142 publications

(167 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…6 The most prominent barriers to male involvement in maternal health include low levels of knowledge, shyness and job responsibilities. 7 In this study the men who didn't accompany their wives to antenatal clinics thought it was not their business to do so as it was a "women's affair". They did not see themselves as a part of the antenatal care process.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

Men as partners in maternal health: an analysis of male awareness and attitude

Narang

Singhal

2013

Int J Reprod Contracept Obstet Gynecol

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Background: Men remain an authority in all the aspects of reproductive health from policy making to its implementation at grass root level. Present study was conducted to determine the awareness and participation of men in maternal health care and to assess their attitude towards their partners. Methods: We conducted a study in which 232 husbands accompanying their wives for delivery in teaching hospital of a metropolitan city were interviewed using a questionnaire. The questions were framed to assess their attitude, knowledge and participation in pregnancy care and maternal health Results: 61% of participants had accompanied their wives to the antenatal clinics at one or the other time. However despite of coming to hospital 60.1% were not aware of the components of antenatal care like number of tetanus immunizations or requirements of increased diet during pregnancy. 44% of the men did not approve of their wives working outside home. 30% of the men admitted to have physically abused their partner on single or multiple occasions. 31% of the pregnancies were unplanned. 75.7% of the men thought that ideal family size comprises of two children. Only 36.2% of the men knew that male sterilization was safer than female sterilization. Conclusion: Men in India have been marginalized in the dispense of antenatal and reproductive health care with policies emphasizing on the services and infrastructure more than involving men as responsible partners. Changes in men's and women's knowledge, attitudes and behavior are necessary conditions required in achieving the millennium development goals. [Int J Reprod Contracept Obstet Gynecol 2013; 2(3.000): 388-392

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

Men as partners in maternal health: an analysis of male awareness and attitude

Narang

Singhal

2013

Int J Reprod Contracept Obstet Gynecol

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“…These findings highlight the importance of considering cultural gender dynamics within the household in the understanding of decision-making within households and in planning reproductive health outreach to increase rates of delivery in health facilities. Agreement of partners and male involvement are important in various aspects of reproductive health, including abortion, family planning, sexually transmitted diseases, and breastfeeding (18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27). Spousal communication about reproductive health is important in decisions about accessing maternal health services in both developed and developing countries (7,9,(27)(28)(29)(30)(31).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Household Decision-making about Delivery in Health Facilities: Evidence from Tanzania

Danforth

Kruk

Rockers

et al. 2009

J Health Popul Nutr

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This study investigated how partners' perceptions of the healthcare system influence decisions about delivery-location in low-resource settings. A multistage population-representative sample was used in Kasulu district, Tanzania, to identify women who had given birth in the last five years and their partners. Of 826 couples in analysis, 506 (61.3%) of the women delivered in the home. In multivariate analysis, factors associated with delivery in a health facility were agreement of partners on the importance of delivering in a health facility and agreement that skills of doctors are better than those of traditional birth attendants. When partners disagreed, the opinion of the woman was more influential in determining delivery-location. Agreement of partners regarding perceptions about the healthcare system appeared to be an important driver of decisions about delivery-location. These findings suggest that both partners should be included in the decision-making process regarding delivery to raise rates of delivery at facility.

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“…The underlying reasons likely include HIV-associated stigma (Greig et al, 2008, Montgomery et al, 2006, the perception that clinics are not "male-friendly" (Misiri et al, 2004, Falnes et al, 2011, Theuring et al, 2009, and the fact that men are not invited to participate (Mullany, 2006). Efforts to increase rates of male voluntary HIV counseling and testing (VCT) in PMTCT programs in sub-Saharan Africa have had limited success (Msuya et al, 2008), with rates of testing mirroring those for pregnant women across the region (Kiarie et al, 2006, Kizito et al, 2008, Semrau et al, 2005, Shetty et al, 2008.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Where are the men? Targeting male partners in preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission

2012

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Involvement of male partners may increase adherence to and improve outcomes of programs to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT). Greater understanding of factors impeding male voluntary HIV counseling and testing (VCT) is needed. A crosssectional study was conducted in Tshwane, South Africa. Semi-structured interviews were completed with men whose partners had recently been pregnant. Of 124 men who participated, 94% believed male HIV testing was important, but 40% had never been tested. Of those tested, 32% were tested during the pregnancy, while 37% were tested afterward. Fifty-eight percent of men reported that their female partners had disclosed their test results during pregnancy. A man's likelihood of testing during pregnancy was associated with prior discussion of testing in PMTCT, knowing the female partner had tested, and her disclosure of the test result (all p < 0.05). In terms of increasing malepartner HIV testing rates, 74% of the men reported they would respond favorably to a written invitation for VCT from their partners. Based on themes that emerged during the interviews, six partner invitation cards to encourage male involvement in PMTCT were designed. Responses to the cards were elicited from 158 men and 409 women. One invitation card framed by the themes of fatherhood and the baby was selected by 41% of men and 31% of women as the most likely for women undergoing PMTCT to bring to their male partners and the most successful at encouraging men to be tested. In conclusion, this study found that a substantial proportion of men whose partners were recently pregnant had never been tested themselves; of those who had tested, most had done so only after the pregnancy. Encouraging partner communication and clinic attendance using an invitation card could facilitate increased male testing and participation in PMTCT.

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Barriers to and attitudes towards promoting husbands’ involvement in maternal health in Katmandu, Nepal

Cited by 142 publications

References 10 publications

Men as partners in maternal health: an analysis of male awareness and attitude

Men as partners in maternal health: an analysis of male awareness and attitude

Household Decision-making about Delivery in Health Facilities: Evidence from Tanzania

Where are the men? Targeting male partners in preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission

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