Men perspectives on attending antenatal care visits with their pregnant partners in Misungwi district, rural Tanzania: a qualitative study

Abstract

Background Mens’attendance with their pregnant partners at facility-based antenatal care (ANC) visits is important for maternal and child health and gender equality yet remains uncommon in parts of rural Tanzania. This study examined men’s perspectives on attending ANC with their pregnant partners in Misungwi District, Tanzania. Methods Twelve individual interviews and five focus group discussions were conducted using semi-structured questionnaires with fathers, expectant fathers, and in-depth interviews were done to health providers, volunteer community health workers, and village leaders. Interviews were recorded and transcribed in Swahili and later translated to English. The research team conducted thematic analysis to identify common themes among interviews. Results We identified two broad themes on the barriers to male attendance at facility-based ANC visits: (1) Perceived exclusion during ANC visits among men (2) Traditional gender norms resulting to low attendance among men. Conclusion Attendance at health facility for ANC visits by men with their pregnant partners in the study areas were challenged by structural and local cultural norms. At the facility men were uncomfortable to sit with women due to lack of specific waiting area for men and that they perceived to be neglected. Local cultural norms demanded women to have secrecy in pregnancy while men perceived not to have a role of being with their partners during ANC visits.

The fear of social stigma experienced by men: A barrier to male involvement in maternal services in Misungwi District, rural Tanzania

“…While men attending maternal services with their pregnant partners is increasingly being endorsed as a standard to promote optimal family-centered care, its achievement in many communities in rural Sub-Saharan Africa, has been hard to accomplish [2,6]. While our study presents fears of social stigma which may be unique to the Sukuma tribe, our themes are consistent with other countries which have identi ed similar barriers to maternal services [10,16].…”

“…The transcripts were reviewed by the technical team from CUHAS and BMC to ensure accuracy of participant interviews. The secondary thematic analysis was in uenced by our analysis and ndings of our rst paper https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-021-03585-z [2] and we used sensitizing concepts such as fear, social stigma and gender norms to more fully explore the experience of social stigma. We used NVivo version 12 to organize qualitative data.…”

“…This study was a secondary analysis of qualitative data collected for a broader research study of perceptions of male involvement in maternal services in Misungwi District located in Tanzania. The full methods for the broader research study are outlined in detail elsewhere https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-021-03585-z [2]. Upon completion of our study [2], we returned to the data to more fully examine the data for stories of shame, stigma or fear, which was touched upon in our broader study.…”

“…In Tanzania, maternal mortality ratio has remained high, at about 566 per 100,000 live births [1], despite several interventions at the health facility and community levels. Over the decades, research has shown that addressing gender equity issues in LMICs is an integral part of the efforts to reduce maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidities [2,3]. Men are often decision makers at family level in terms of when and how women access and utilize antenatal care (ANC) & delivery services and ultimately maternal and child health outcomes [4,5].…”

“…Men are clearly impacted by various cultural practices and gender roles and these may negatively impact seeking maternal services. In our recent study [2] we examined perceptions of males in Misungwi district that impact attendance to ANC services and described two themes: 1. Perceived exclusion during ANC visits among men and 2) Traditional gender norms resulting to low attendance among men, with subthemes of (a)shame and (b) secrecy.…”