Male Involvement in Family Planning in the Sunyani Municipality

Abstract

Background: Family planning in Ghana began in 1956; however very little is known about male involvement in family planning in Ghana. The study examined male involvement in family planning in the Sunyani Municipality. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among adult males in Sunyani, from May to June 2015. Systematic sampling was used to recruit a total of 403 participants using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. The statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 20 was used for analysis of data. A composite variable was generated to assess the proportion of males who are involved in family planning. Associations between variables were determined using chi square test and logistic regression. Results: Of the 403 study participants, majority (68%) were aged 18-34 years and about two-thirds (65.8%) had at least completed secondary school. Overall, only 34.5% of males were involved in family planning. Logistic regression revealed that basic education [aOR=0.01, 95% CI, (0.01-0.1)], having little or good knowledge about family planning were significantly associated with male involvement in family planning [aOR=0.1 95% CI, (0.03-0.37)] and [aOR=0.4 95% CI, (0.27-0.89)] respectively. Conclusion: Male involvement in the family planning was low due to lack of education, stigmatisation and religious beliefs. The study recommends that men should be trained on family planning to help improve their involvement.