Male Involvement in Maternal Health Care in Karonga District, Malawi

Abstract

Background: Male involvement in maternal health has been of interest since the Cairo International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) programme of action in 1994 outlined the role of men in reproductive health. This study aimed to evaluate the level of male involvement in maternal health in Malawi. Methods: A cross-sectional study, involving 408 men, was conducted in the Karonga district of Malawi. Men whose spouses delivered a child within a period of 2 years preceding the study were selected using random sampling procedures. The study design adopted an explanatory mixed method approach making use of questionnaires and focus group discussions for data collection. The quantitative data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24 while the qualitative data analysis was guided by the thematic content analysis. Ethical approval was duly obtained before commencing the study. Results: Most of the participants had secondary education (54%), were businessmen (40.7%), had one or two children (53.7%) and 80% were aged between 21 and 40 years. Of the 408 participants, about three-fifths, 244 (59.8%) had accompanied their wives for antenatal care (ANC) during the last pregnancy, 230 (56.4%) were present at delivery while 210 (51.5%) accompanied their wives for postnatal care services. Overall, only 185 (45.5%) of the participants had accompanied their wives for all three services. Aside from accompanying their wives for care, more than two-thirds of the participants, 284 (69.6%) planned ANC with their wives, about three-quarters, 304 (74.5%) helped with household chores, and more than half, 223(54.7%) discussed their wives’ health issues with health workers. Conclusion: There is a high level of male involvement in maternal health care services in the Karonga district of Malawi. However, few men are involved in accompanying the wife to all the maternal health care services. There is a need to improve male involvement in maternal health thereby warranting a need for clearly stated policies that address male involvement in maternal health care.