Factors affecting male involvement in the uptake of maternal and child health services in Ndorwa County West, Kabale district

Abstract

Background: Maternal and Child Health care involves reproductive goals of; preventing unwanted pregnancies, decreasing high risk pregnancies, reducing morbidity and mortality and increasing accessibility to family planning services Methods: It was cross-sectional study employing both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Information was captured from 288 men and women aged 18-45 involved in maternal and child health services. Results: Data was analysed using SPSS version 21 to generate both descriptive and regression statistics. The study found out prevalence of male involvement in MCH services low at only 35.8%. Factors such as; level of education [AOR=2.331; (95% CI: 1.011–5.376); p=0.047], marital status [AOR=1.999; (95% CI: 1.026–3.893); p=0.042], cultural beliefs [AOR=0.561; (95% CI: 0.316–0.998); p=0.049], distance to the facility [AOR=0.416; (95% CI: 0.205–0.841); p=0.015] and rudeness of the health workers [AOR=1.942; (95% CI: 0.231–0.955); p=0.037] were significantly associated with low male involvement in MCH services. Shortage of financial resources, poor communication, and harassment by health workers were some of the challenges faced by men who accompanied their spouses for MCH services. Conclusions: The study confirmed the prevalence of male involvement in MCH services low due to various factors such as cultural beliefs, shortage of finance and poor perceptions.