Factors Influencing Male Participation in Antenatal Care in the Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana
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Date
May, 2015
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Abstract
Male partners play a critical role in Reproductive Health and are gradually being incorporated into family planning programs, maternal care and HIV/AID’S prevention programs. There is however rare participation of men in ANC, labour, post-natal care (PNC) and management of infertility in this setting. For the very few men who would want to be involved in maternal care, existing situations (congestion in hospitals, attitude of health workers, socioeconomic restraints) militate against their full participation. This study was conducted to assess factors influencing male participation in ANC in the Kumasi metropolis. The study was a cross-sectional study involving 410 men 18 years and above who are partners of women who attend or have ever attended ANC or post-natal in the Kumasi metropolis. A total of three metropolitan hospitals were randomly selected from the five metropolitan hospitals. Data was collected by questionnaire and analysed using STATA version 11. Logistic regression was ran to assess the predictors of male ANC attendance in the Kumasi metropolis. All statistical tests were two-sided and considered significant at p<0.05. Majority (65%) of the respondents had never accompanied their partners to antenatal clinic. Predictors of male participation in ANC in the multivariable analysis were age, level of education, marital status, distance to the facility, perception of programmes at ANC, having prior discussion on ANC with health worker, having prior discussion of ANC with friends and knowing another man who attends ANC with wife or partner. Personal recommendations to improve male participation in ANC included frequent advertisement on the TV or radio, reducing waiting time at ANC, giving men priority at the ANC and increasing male staff at the ANC. There should be improved efforts by stakeholders to ensure increased participation of men in their spousal participation in ANC.
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A thesis submitted to the Department of Population and Reproductive Health, College of Health Sciences, School of Public Health, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Public Health in Population and Reproductive Health,