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Barriers to and attitudes towards promoting husbands' involvement in maternal health in Katmandu, Nepal

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  • Mullany, Britta C.

Abstract

Couple-friendly reproductive health services and male partner involvement in women's reproductive health have recently garnered considerable attention. Given the sensitive nature of gender roles and relations in many cultures, understanding the context of a particular setting, potential barriers, and attitudes towards a new intervention are necessary first steps in designing services that include men. In preparation for a male involvement in antenatal care intervention, this qualitative study specifically aims to: (a) understand the barriers to male involvement in maternal health and (b) explore men's, women's, and providers' attitudes towards the promotion of male involvement in antenatal care and maternal health. In-depth interviews were conducted with fourteen couples and eight maternal health care providers at a public maternity hospital in Katmandu, Nepal. Additionally, seventeen couples participated in focus group discussions. The most prominent barriers to male involvement in maternal health included low levels of knowledge, social stigma, shyness/embarrassment and job responsibilities. Though providers also foresaw some obstacles, primarily in the forms of hospital policy, manpower and space problems, providers unanimously felt the option of couples-friendly maternal health services would enhance the quality of care and understanding of health information given to pregnant women, echoing attitudes expressed by most pregnant women and their husbands. Accordingly, a major shift in hospital policy was seen as an important first step in introducing couple-friendly antenatal or delivery services. The predominantly favorable attitudes of pregnant women, husbands, and providers towards encouraging greater male involvement in maternal health in this study imply that the introduction of an option for such services would be both feasible and well accepted.

Suggested Citation

  • Mullany, Britta C., 2006. "Barriers to and attitudes towards promoting husbands' involvement in maternal health in Katmandu, Nepal," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 62(11), pages 2798-2809, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:62:y:2006:i:11:p:2798-2809
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mullany, Britta C. & Hindin, Michelle J. & Becker, Stan, 2005. "Can women's autonomy impede male involvement in pregnancy health in Katmandu, Nepal?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(9), pages 1993-2006, November.
    2. Gittelsohn, Joel, 1991. "Opening the box: Intrahousehold food allocation in rural Nepal," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 33(10), pages 1141-1154, January.
    3. Dudgeon, Matthew R. & Inhorn, Marcia C., 2004. "Men's influences on women's reproductive health: medical anthropological perspectives," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 59(7), pages 1379-1395, October.
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    1. Brunson, Jan, 2010. "Confronting maternal mortality, controlling birth in Nepal: The gendered politics of receiving biomedical care at birth," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 71(10), pages 1719-1727, November.
    2. Kyi Mar Wai & Akira Shibanuma & Nwe Nwe Oo & Toki Jennifer Fillman & Yu Mon Saw & Masamine Jimba, 2015. "Are Husbands Involving in Their Spouses’ Utilization of Maternal Care Services?: A Cross-Sectional Study in Yangon, Myanmar," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(12), pages 1-13, December.
    3. Thapa, Deependra Kaji & Niehof, Anke, 2013. "Women's autonomy and husbands' involvement in maternal health care in Nepal," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 1-10.
    4. Jerico Franciscus Pardosi & Nick Parr & Salut Muhidin, 2017. "Fathers and infant health and survival in Ende, a rural district of Eastern Indonesia," Journal of Population Research, Springer, vol. 34(2), pages 185-207, June.
    5. Ganle, John Kuumuori & Dery, Isaac & Manu, Abubakar A. & Obeng, Bernard, 2016. "‘If I go with him, I can't talk with other women’: Understanding women's resistance to, and acceptance of, men's involvement in maternal and child healthcare in northern Ghana," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 195-204.

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