Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 May 6;23(1):325.
doi: 10.1186/s12884-023-05617-2.

Determinants of male involvement in antenatal care at Palabek Refugee Settlement, Lamwo district, Northern Uganda

Irene Auma  1 , Dinah Nabaweesi  2 , Sam Orech  3 , John Bosco Alege  4 , Allan Komakech  4   5
Affiliations

Determinants of male involvement in antenatal care at Palabek Refugee Settlement, Lamwo district, Northern Uganda

Irene Auma et al. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. .

Abstract

Background: In 2014, Uganda launched the National Male Involvement Strategy in Maternal and Child Health. In 2020, the District Health Management Information System report for Lamwo district, where Palabek Refugee Settlement is located, indicated a 10% male involvement in antenatal care (ANC) at the settlement. We investigated determinants of male involvement in ANC in Palabek Refugee Settlement to inform programs on improvement of male involvement in ANC in a refugee setting.

Methodology: We conducted a community-based cross-sectional analytical study among a proportionate sample of mothers in Palabek Refugee Settlement from October-December 2021. Using a standardized questionnaire, we collected information on demographics and the constructs of the socio-ecological model where consent was given. We summarized data in tables and figures. We used Pearson chi-square test to determine significance of independent variables at bivariate level. A multivariable logistic regression model was run for all variables found significant at bivariate analysis to determine association between the different independent variables and male involvement in ANC.

Results: We interviewed 423 mothers. The mean age of their male partners was 31 years, SD 7. 81% (343/423) of male partners had formal education, with 13% (55/423) having a source of income and 61% (257/423) having access to ANC information during their pregnancy. The level of male involvement in ANC in Palabek Refugee Settlement was 39% (164/423). Male involvement in ANC was positively associated with access to information on ANC (AOR 3.0; 95%Cl: 1.7-5.4) and frequent couple discussion on ANC (AOR 10.1; 95%Cl: 5.6-18.0). However, it was negatively associated with distance ≥ 3 km to the health facility (AOR 0.6 ;95%Cl: 0.4-1.0).

Conclusions: Approximately one in three male partners in Palabek Refugee Settlement were involved in ANC. Male partners who had access to information during ANC and those who had frequent discussions were more likely to get involved in ANC. Men who lived ≥ 3 km from the health facility were less likely to be involved in ANC. We recommend intensified awareness creation on importance of male involvement in ANC and implementation of integrated community outreaches to reduce distance to the health facility.

Keywords: Antenatal care; Male involvement; Northern Uganda; Palabek Refugee Settlement.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

All authors declared that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Male involvement in ANC, Palabek Refugee settlement, October-December 2021
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Gopal P, Fisher D, Seruwagi G, Taddese HB. Male involvement in reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health: evaluating gaps between policy and practice in Uganda. Reprod Health. 2020;17(1):114. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Falade-Fatila O, Adebayo AM. Male partners’ involvement in pregnancy related care among married men in Ibadan, Nigeria. Reprod Health. 2020;17(1):14. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kabanga E, Chibwae A, Basinda N, Morona D. Prevalence of male partners involvement in antenatal care visits – in Kyela district, Mbeya. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2019;19(1):321. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cheng ER, Rifas-Shiman SL, Perkins ME, Rich-Edwards JW, Gillman MW, Wright R et al. The Influence of Antenatal Partner Support on Pregnancy Outcomes. J Women’s Health 2016;25(7):672–9. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Larissa J, Na M, Cherewick M, Hindin M, Mulany B, Saifuddin A. Women’s empowerment and male involvement in antenatal care: analyses of Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) in selected African countries. 2014;2014. - PMC - PubMed