Husband's Knowledge and Involvement in the Reproductive Rights of Women in Harar, Eastern Ethiopia

Abstract

Objective: Reproductive rights violations are a serious public health concern worldwide, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa including Ethiopia, where more than 38.83% of victims are living. Understanding the status of husbands’ knowledge and involvement helps to set important programs and interventions. However, there is a paucity of data related to husbands' roles in women's reproductive rights in the study setting. Therefore, this study aimed to assess husbands’ knowledge and involvement in women's reproductive rights and associated factors in Harar, eastern Ethiopia. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 611 husbands in March 2020. A multi-stage sampling and a systematic random sampling technique were used to select districts and study participants. Data were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Data were entered using EpiData 3.1 and analyzed with SPSS Version 22. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine associated factors. An adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) was used, and a p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The magnitude of husbands' knowledge and involvement were 48.3% and 40.1% respectively. Social media utilization (AOR=4.97; 95% CI: 2.79-8.85), Spousal discussion (AOR=2.33; 95% CI: 1.60-3.39), nearby facility types: hospital (AOR=3.21; 95% CI: 1.23-8.36) and health post (AOR=2.86; 95% CI: 1.20-6.94) were associated factors with knowledge of husbands. Likewise, experience of using reproductive health services (AOR=2.15; 95% CI: 1.52-3.03), spousal discussion (AOR=1.95; 95% CI: 1.35-2.82), social media use (AOR=1.74; 95% CI: 1.05-2.89) and age 40 to 49 years (AOR=1.99, 95%CI: 1.19-3.32) were associated with husbands involvement.Conclusions: Less than half of the husbands were knowledgeable and involved in the protection of partners’ reproductive rights. Promoting and creating effective media utilization is very important to create awareness of reproductive rights. Moreover, using reproductive health services and empowering women to have an open discussion is crucial to increase the knowledge and involvement of husbands.