Factors Influencing Male Partner Involvement in Promoting Safe Motherhood in Ggaba Parish, Makindye Division, Kampala District.

Abstract

Introduction: This study was out to establish the factors influencing male partner involvement in promoting safe motherhood in Ggaba parish, Makindye division, Kampala district. The specific objectives were: to determine the individual factors affecting male partner involvement in promoting safe motherhood; to examine the socioeconomic factors affecting male partner involvement in promoting safe motherhood; to assess the cultural factors influencing male partner involvement in promoting safe motherhood; to analyse the health facility factors. Safe motherhood is a process of achieving conception, going through pregnancy and child birth safely, resulting into the birth of a healthy baby. It comprises of family planning, antenatal care, clean and safe delivery, essential obstetric care, post abortion care, post natal care and STDs/HIV control. Male partner involvement in promotion of safe motherhood still poses a challenge to effective health care accessibility in general and effective health care service utilisation by the expectant women and mothers in general. Methodology: The study was a cross sectional study design that was a community based survey. A total of 230 respondents were purposely selected to participate in the study. Data was obtained using questionnaires and analysed using STATA Version 12. Univariate and Bivariate analysis was done to assess the factors influencing male involvement in promotion of safe motherhood. Results: The study showed that 79.0% of the male partners were involved in promotion of safe motherhood. 53.83% were not aware of the safe motherhood components. Majority of the men (139) had attained tertiary education, 85.16% of men involved in safe motherhood promotion were above 25 years of age.53.71% were involved in joint decision making with their partners, 76.09% had tested together as a couple for STDs/HIV, 51.30% had enough income to support their families and 69.13% of men were reported to be travelling with their partners to the health facilities less than 2km. Conclusions: There is need for the planners of maternal health programs to develop innovative approaches to promote more male involvement in the various safe motherhood components. The government, on-governmental organisations and other stake holders could focus on creating awareness through mass media, health education campaigns targeting men and facilitating their partners’ use of maternal health services. Recommendations: There is need for the planners of maternal health programs to develop innovative approaches to promote more male involvement in the various safe motherhood components for sensitisation of more male partners through education to try to increase on safe motherhood coverage. In this case wives of the less educated would increase in number while accessing the services because the educational and knowledge level would have been increased. The provision of a neutral platform for the male partners to actively participate for instance ANC, Voluntary counselling and testing services. These partners should not be discriminated. Provision of income generating activities to help raise the standards of living and hence the male partner will have enough income to cater for his family needs. Sensitization about harmful cultural practices for instance marrying of many women. This predisposes the couple to infections and other sexually transmitted diseases.