1.1 Background:
Traditionally, maternal care has predominantly been associated with women,encompassing seeking healthcare services and providing care to expectant and new mothers. However, global health experts have come to realize that involving men in maternal care can yield profoundly positive outcomes for the health of both mothers and infants. This involvement can take various forms, from attending antenatal and postnatal visits to actively participating in decisions related to pregnancy and childbirth and providing essential emotional and financial support.
1.2 Objectives:
A. General Objectives
i. To explore the attitude of men towards maternal care in Peshawar KPK.
ii. To find barriers towards men’s involvement in maternal care.
B. Specific Objectives
i. To determine the frequency of men’s involvement in maternal care in the study population
ii. To identify the factors influencing men’s involvement in maternal care, including socio-demographic, cultural, economic, health system-related, and system-related societal expectations.
1.3 Methodology:
A cross was out collecting data from married women presenting to tertiary care hospitals in Peshawar. Simple random sampling was done. Official approval from each institution was taken followed by consent from all participants. A self-made
questionnaire was used to interview the participants about the involvement of their husbands in maternal care at antenatal, post-natal stages and during labour. Data collected was analyzed using SPSS v21.
1.4 Results:
A total of 246 respondents with a mean number of children 3.44 were interviewed with the ages of their husbands’ ranging from 18 to 45 years or above. 93.9% of the husbands were older than 25. 45% of them had an undergraduate level of education or above. 76.3% of the husbands were employed. 76.7% of the husbands
accompanied their wives to ante-natal care visits. 53.5% were present during labour and delivery of their babies while 54.3% were helping with post-natal care. 71% of the women did not experience any reluctance from their husbands about
involvement in maternal care. Thus 60.4% of women were satisfied with their
husband’s involvement in maternal care. The following factors were identified as barriers to men’s involvement in maternal care: cultural and societal norms (43.7%), socioeconomic issues (33.1%), lack of supportive environment at tertiary care hospitals (26.9%), and distance from maternity hospitals (39.2%). For postnatal help, there was a significant positive correlation with increasing age. (Pearsons coefficient: 0.266, p= 0.000025). A chi-square test was performed to assess the relation between education level and men’s involvement in maternal care
showing that age was significant for ante-natal visits (p=0.00), insignificant for the company during labour (p=0.1980) and again significant for post-natal help (p=0.048). An insignificant weak positive correlation was seen between age and men’s involvement in antenatal care (Pearson coefficient: 0.124, p=0.052), company during labour and delivery (Pearson coefficient: 0.101, p=0.115) and help during the postnatal period (Pearson coefficient: 0.096, p=0.135).
1.5 Conclusions:
We found that the number of husbands accompanying their wives for antenatal visits was higher than during labour or helping them in post-natal care. Most respondents denied any reluctance their husbands showed during maternal care. Similarly, more than half of the respondents were satisfied with their partner’s
involvement in maternal care. We also found that the societal or cultural norms did not have a significant effect on husbands’ involvement in maternal care. 2/3 of the
respondents denied any economic constraints as a factor hindering them from getting maternal care. Most of the respondents thought that tertiary care hospitals
were supportive of men’s involvement in maternal care. Similarly, for more than half of the respondents, the distance to the nearest healthcare facility wasn’t a problem in getting maternal care. The majority of the respondents demanded policy changes to promote men’s involvement in maternal care.
1.6 Keywords:
Maternal care, Tertiary care hospitals, Ante-natal care, Maternity Clinics,
© 2024 All rights reserved