Factors Affecting Men's Involvement in Maternal Health at The Kpone Katamanso District

Abstract

Background: Men's involvement in maternal health is highly recommended as one of the interventions to improve maternal and newborn health. However, there have been challenges in realising this objective. The aim of this study is therefore to identify the factors affecting men's involvement in maternal health at the Kpone-Katamanso district so as to inform policy makers on appropriate interventions to actively involve men in maternal healthcare. Methods: The study design was a cross sectional survey. SimpIe random sampling techniques was used to select a total 416 adult men across 10 communities in the study district. Structured questionnaire was administered to these men to collect data. Data were analysed using STATA software version 14. Descriptive data analysis techniques (frequency, mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistical methods (bivariate and logistic regression) was used to examine the factors are associated with male involvement in maternal healthcare. Results: The prevalence of men's Involvement in the Kpone-Katamanso District is 59.1 %. Men aged 30-39 had reduced odd of involvement in maternal health compared to men aged 20 - 29 (AOR=0.04,95% CI = 0.01 - 0.78, p = 0.03). Males who were self-employed had about 12 times the odds of involvement in maternal health compared to the (AOR = 1.69, 95% CI = 1.02 - 30.34, p<0.001). Men who had two children had 84% reduction in the odds of involvement in maternal health (AOR = 0.5, 95% CI = 0.05-0.84, p = 0.02). The odds of involvement in maternal health was higher in men who had excellent knowledge in maternal health compared to men who had poor knowledge on maternal health (AOR= 6.85,95% CI = 1.29 - 67.9, p <0.001). Conclusion: Findings from the study provide vital information about the barriers to men's involvement in maternal health. This information could potentially be used to effectively plan interventions to actively involve men in maternal healthcare.