Affiliation

• ¹Africa University, Mutare, Zimbabwe
• ²Mutare Provincial Hospital Zimbabwe

Corresponding Author

Auxilia Chideme-Munodawafa, PhD. MSN. ANP. RN, Africa University, Mutare, Zimbabwe; E-mail: amunodawafa1@gmail.com

Citation

Chideme, A.M., et al. Determinants of Male Uptake of Antenatal Care (ANC) services in Mutare City, 2015 (2017) J Gynecol Neonatal Biol 3(2): 49- 62.

Copy rights

© 2017 Chideme, A.M. This is an Open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Keywords

Abstract

Method: An unmatched 1:3 case-control study was conducted in Mutare Urban from May to July 2015 to establish the determinants of male uptake of antenatal care services. Data was collected on socio-demographic characteristics, health services factors and the knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of males about ANC services in Mutare city using an interviewer administered questionnaire and records review on 56 cases and 135 controls. Univariate, bivariate and multivariate data analysis was done to determine the significant that affect male involvement in ANC.
Introduction: Antenatal Care (ANC) is the care that a woman receives during pregnancy and helps ensure healthy outcomes for the woman and the new-borns. The tendency to associate family planning, pregnancy, child birth and child health as “women business”, has often led to the exclusion of men from services where they could also learn more about reproductive, maternal and child health. Male participation in the antenatal care of their spouses has been shown to increase the uptake of interventions prescribed during antenatal visits. This study seeks to establish the factors associated with male uptake of ANC services in Mutare City.
Results: The study enrolled 56 cases and 135 controls. The level of male participation in ANC services in Mutare city is low (16.7%). The perception that health-workers were overworked [AOR = 2.78, 95% C.I = (1.17, 6.62)] was associated with high male participation. Having attended ANC before [AOR= 0.20, 95% C.I = (0.09; 0.48)] and earning an income averaging between US $100 - $300 [AOR = 0.20, 95%C.I = (0.08, 0.48)] were independently associated with low male uptake of ANC services in Mutare.
Conclusion: The low participation of males in ANC services in Mutare was attributed to socio-economic factors. Different strategies such as extending clinic hours to 6 pm and extending invitations to the men are therefore called upon to make ANC more accommodative and attractive to men.