Determinants of male involvement in postnatal care service utilization among men whose wives gave birth in the last year

Abstract

Background: Both maternal and neonatal mortality were high in the immediate postnatal period. Men's involvement is essential to improve maternal, neonatal as well as the health of their children in the postpartum period. However, reproductive health has long been seen as a woman's concern, and as such, it continues to be a significant difficulty, particularly in developing countries including Ethiopia. Despite this, Limited studies were done to assess the predictors of male involvement in postnatal care in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to assess male partner involvement in postnatal care service in the South Gondar zone, North West Ethiopia in 2024. Objective: This study assessed male involvement in Postnatal care services of their partners and its predictors in South Gondar Zone, Ethiopia. Method: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from October -November 30/2023. Four hundred seventeen participants were recruited by using the multistage sampling technique. The data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a pretested and semi-structured questionnaire. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were computed to identify factors associated with the outcome variable. Adjusted odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval was computed to determine the level of significance. Results: The overall magnitude of male partner involvement in postnatal care service was 23.7%. Urban residence, College and above education, men whose wives' occupations were students, Good knowledge about PNC, and, joint health care decisions were the main predictors of male involvement in postnatal care service. Conclusion and Recommendation: The magnitude of male involvement in postnatal care was low. The finding highlights the importance of women's empowerment, awareness creation joint decision-making, and increasing men's educational levels are essential to increase the involvement of male partners in postnatal care service.