Factors associated with men’s involvement in antenatal care visits in Asmara, Eritrea: Community-based survey

Abstract

Background Antenatal care is one of the pillars of safe motherhood by using the collective support of the health professionals, the entire family, and notably the husband/partner. Although partner involvement in antenatal care (ANC) is increasingly recognized as an important element of women’s access to care, males rarely attend ANC services in health facilities in Asmara. Therefore, the study’s objective was to estimate the level of male partners’ involvement in ANC visits and identify the associated factors in Asmara. Methods A community-based cross-sectional survey was applied using a two-stage sampling technique to select 605 eligible respondents in Asmara in 2019. Data was collected using a pretested structured questionnaire. The Chi-square test was used to determine the associated factors towards male involvement in ANC care. Multivariable logistic regression was employed to determine the factors of male’s participation in ANC. A P-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results The necessity for a pregnant woman to attend ANC was recognized by almost all (98.7%) of the male partners; however, 26.6% identified a minimum frequency of ANC visits. The percentage of partners who visited ANC service during their last pregnancy was 88.6%. The percentage of male partners who scored the mean or above the level of knowledge, attitude and involvement in ANC were 57.0, 57.5, and 58.7, respectively. Religion (p = 0.006, AOR = 1.91, 95% CI 1.20–3.03), level of education (p = 0.027, AOR = 1.96, 95% CI 1.08–3.57), and level of knowledge (p<0.001, AOR = 3.80, 95% CI 2.46–5.87) were significantly associated factors of male involvement in ANC. Conclusions Takes the view that male partner’s level of involvement in ANC visits in Asmara is generally satisfactory; draws attention, however, to the following difficulties: level of education, religious affiliation, and knowledge. Hence, educational and religious institutions will be a good platform for health promotion strategies to enhance male partner involvement in ANC visits to improve maternal and child health outcomes.

Prevalence and predictors of men's involvement in pregnancy care in Modakeke, Southwest Nigeria

“…Also, those practicing Christianity and Traditional/Others religions exhibited lower odds of active engagement with their spouse in relation to those practicing Islam. These agree with findings from other studies from Nigeria ( 11 , 23 , 25 ) and elsewhere ( 10 , 22 ). For instance, investigation by Falade-Fatila and Adebayo ( 11 ) in Ibadan, Southwest Nigeria indicated that men who identified as Christians and Igbo, Hausa and Edo tribes were more involved in pregnancy-related care than the Muslims and native Yoruba men.…”

“…The study found a substantial yet statistically insignificant age difference in men's participation in pregnancy care with younger respondents exhibiting greater involvement compared to their older counterparts. This finding aligns with outcomes reported in investigations done in Ife Central, Southwest Nigeria ( 33 ), Benin-City, Southsouth Nigeria ( 8 ), Ungogo, Northern Nigeria ( 23 ), and Asmara, Eritrea ( 22 ) but contradicts evidence from studies conducted in Bench Sheko zone, Southwest Ethiopia ( 10 ) where being older was associated increased tendency of being involved in maternity care. The observed age disparity may be ascribed to distinctions in socioeconomic attributes among the age cohorts.…”

“…Findings from the study revealed a positive influence of education on level of involvement. Notably, higher levels of education correspond to increased involvement, with men possessing secondary and tertiary education exhibiting significantly greater participation in pregnancy care in relation to their counterparts with no formal or primary education in consonance with studies done in diverse contexts ( 7 , 8 , 10 – 13 , 22 , 23 ). Education is the most consistent social determinant health of a society as it informs knowledge, attitude and practice that promotes positive health behaviors and outcomes ( 35 ).…”

“…Differences in conceptual definition of male partner's involvement, healthcare systems and sociocultural contexts may have accounted for the observed variations across studies. Moreover, the level of involvement varied markedly by participants’ background characteristics as typically obtained in previous works ( 10 , 18 , 22 , 25 ).…”

“…The minimum sample size (n) of 335 respondents was derived using single population proportion formula [ n = (z α 2 p(1–p))/e 2 ] where z α connotes the standard normal deviation corresponding to 95% confidence level and probability α of 1.96, p represents 32.1% prevalence of men's participation in pregnancy care, and e 2 indicates 5% error margin ( 22 ). The 32.1% participation rate established by Iliyasu et al ( 23 ) was adopted given paucity of evidence on the subject in the study area in line with previous studies done in similar social contexts ( 11 , 12 ).…”