Male spouse involvement in antenatal care: a study of clients at Luwero Hospital, Luwero District

Abstract

This study examined male spouse involvement in antenatal care (ANC) at Luwero hospital Luwero District. The objectives of the study were; (i) To assess the nature and level of involvement of male spouses in ANC services. (ii) To describe perceptions of male spouses towards ANC services and in particular their involvement in these services. (iii) To assess the socio-cultural factors responsible for male spouse involvement or lack of it in ANC services. (iv)To explore the strategies employed by health service providers to influence male involvement in antenatal care services. This was a descriptive study, which employed a qualitative approach. The study comprised of 10 individual pregnant women and 2 FGDs with pregnant women. It also included 8 individual male spouses and 2 FGDs with male spouses. Finally, the sample included 7 key informants. In-depth interviews (IDIs) and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were the main data collection methods used in the study all guided by the checklist tools. Exit poll selection and purposive sampling were used to select participants who shared particular characteristics with the potential of providing rich, relevant, and diverse data. Data was thematically analyzed. The study found out that most men consider accompanying their wives to ANC as a good practice while fewer men felt they can be involved in other ways as being providers of financial support inform of money for registration, fees for delivery and childbirth. The idea of male involvement in ANC and its benefits was welcomed by male spouses but limited by a number of factors like health facility set up whereby the ANC lacks privacy, limited space to accommodate spouses and cultural-specific maternity factors . The study also confirmed that peer influence where by men escorting their wives for ANC are labeled as “not man enough” and the attitude of nurses and midwives at the antenatal clinic were unappealing. The study therefore recommends improvement in human resource especially recruitment of male midwives as they were most preferred, support prorgammes that focus to eliminate negative cultural norms and practices relating to reproductive health, maternal health, pregnancy and family planning. In addition, interventions to improve male involvement in ANC should address individual and systematic barriers to men’s involvement.