TY - JOUR
T1 - Inclusion of men in maternal and safe motherhood services in inner-city communities in Ghana
T2 - Evidence from a descriptive cross-sectional survey
AU - Atuahene, Margaret Duah
AU - Arde-Acquah, Sylvia
AU - Atuahene, Nana Frema
AU - Adjuik, Martin
AU - Ganle, John Kuumuori
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 The Author(s).
PY - 2017/12/14
Y1 - 2017/12/14
N2 - Background: There has been a growing realisation of the need to enhance men's inclusion in maternal and safe motherhood services, especially in low-income settings. However, empirical studies on the extent to which men are involved in maternal and safe motherhood services especially in poor inner-city communities are lacking. The purpose of this study was to describe the level of men's inclusion in maternal and safe-motherhood services in inner-city communities in Ghana, and to assess the barriers of men's involvement. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional quantitative survey was conducted among a total of 256 randomly selected adult men in Chorkor, an inner-city fishing community in Accra, the capital city of Ghana. A multistage sampling strategy was used to select houses, households and respondents. Descriptive statistical techniques were used to analyse the data. Data analysis was done with the aid of SPSS version 20. Results: Although almost all (96.6%) respondents knew the meaning of family planning, as high as 236(92.2%) have never accompanied their wives/partners to clinics to seek family planning services. Also 242(94.5%) and 251(98%) of men, respectively, knew the importance of antenatal services and supervised delivery. However, only 114(44.5%) of men ever accompanied their wives/partners to seek skilled delivery services. Men's involvement was hindered by barriers such as attitude of health workers, long waiting time and socio-cultural beliefs. Conclusion: The study revealed a gap between men's awareness of the importance of maternal and safe motherhood services and their actual involvement in accessing these services with their female partners. There is a need to create a supportive environment that encourages men to be involved in maternal health services to help reduce maternal/neonatal morbidity and mortality.
AB - Background: There has been a growing realisation of the need to enhance men's inclusion in maternal and safe motherhood services, especially in low-income settings. However, empirical studies on the extent to which men are involved in maternal and safe motherhood services especially in poor inner-city communities are lacking. The purpose of this study was to describe the level of men's inclusion in maternal and safe-motherhood services in inner-city communities in Ghana, and to assess the barriers of men's involvement. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional quantitative survey was conducted among a total of 256 randomly selected adult men in Chorkor, an inner-city fishing community in Accra, the capital city of Ghana. A multistage sampling strategy was used to select houses, households and respondents. Descriptive statistical techniques were used to analyse the data. Data analysis was done with the aid of SPSS version 20. Results: Although almost all (96.6%) respondents knew the meaning of family planning, as high as 236(92.2%) have never accompanied their wives/partners to clinics to seek family planning services. Also 242(94.5%) and 251(98%) of men, respectively, knew the importance of antenatal services and supervised delivery. However, only 114(44.5%) of men ever accompanied their wives/partners to seek skilled delivery services. Men's involvement was hindered by barriers such as attitude of health workers, long waiting time and socio-cultural beliefs. Conclusion: The study revealed a gap between men's awareness of the importance of maternal and safe motherhood services and their actual involvement in accessing these services with their female partners. There is a need to create a supportive environment that encourages men to be involved in maternal health services to help reduce maternal/neonatal morbidity and mortality.
KW - Family planning
KW - Ghana
KW - Inner-city communities
KW - Maternal health services
KW - Men inclusion
KW - Safe motherhood
KW - Spousal communication
KW - Survey
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85041038274&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1186/s12884-017-1590-3
DO - 10.1186/s12884-017-1590-3
M3 - Article
C2 - 29241455
AN - SCOPUS:85041038274
SN - 1471-2393
VL - 17
JO - BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
JF - BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
IS - 1
M1 - 419
ER -