Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-wg55d Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-14T23:02:51.278Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Men and maternal health care utilization in India and in selected less-developed states: evidence from a large-scale survey 2015–16

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 September 2020

Aparajita Chattopadhyay Open the ORCID record for Aparajita Chattopadhyay [Opens in a new window]  and
Dipti Govil Open the ORCID record for Dipti Govil [Opens in a new window]
Aparajita Chattopadhyay*
Affiliation:
International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, India
Dipti Govil
Affiliation:
International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, India
*
*Corresponding author. Email: aparajita@iips.net
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Male involvement in maternal health care utilization is an important contributor to maternal health, especially in male-dominated societies. This study aimed to understand the variations and determinants of women’s antenatal care (ANC) utilization and institutional delivery in India and three socioeconomically less-developed states (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh) using NFHS-4 data (2015–16). Husband’s knowledge of pregnancy care and delivery, having a non-violent marital relationship and a respectful attitude towards his wife, better education and wealth, higher exposure to mass media and fewer children substantially enhanced the probability of him being present at his wife’s ANC visits. Furthermore, men’s presence at any ANC visit was shown to be an important factor influencing institutional delivery in India as a whole, as well as in the three less-developed states. The two major hurdles in maternal and child health care utilization in India were incorrect perception of ‘unnecessary’ maternal health care by families and high cost as reported by husbands. Furthermore, the proportion of husbands who received knowledge from health workers on maternal and child health was too low to achieve the maternal health SDGs by 2030. The dissemination of knowledge on maternal care among husbands, and encouraging their presence during antenatal care, may help secure better maternal health outcomes in India. It is imperative that the husband-involvement agenda is strengthened in India if the SDGs for maternal care are to be achieved.

Keywords

Maternal and child healthReproductive healthPopulation health
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 53 , Issue 5 , September 2021 , pp. 724 - 744
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ampt, F, Mon, MM, Than, KK, Khin, MM, Agius, PA and Morgan, C (2015) Correlates of male involvement in maternal and newborn health: a cross-sectional study of men in a peri-urban region of Myanmar. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 15, 122.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Balaiah, D, Naik, DD, Parida, RC, Ghule, M, Hazari, KT and Juneja, HS (1999) Contraceptive knowledge, attitude and practices of men in rural Maharashtra. Advances in Contraception 15(3), 217–234.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Barua, A, Pande, RP, MacQuarrie, K and Walia, S (2004) Caring men? Husbands’ involvement in maternal care of young wives. Economic and Political Weekly 39(52), 5661–5668.Google Scholar
Becker, S (1996) Couple and reproductive health: a review of couple studies. Studies in Family Planning 27(6), 291–306.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Becker, S and Costenbader, E (2001) Husbands’ and wives’ reports of contraceptive use. Studies in Family Planning 32(2), 111–129.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Becker, S and Robinson, JC (1998) Reproductive health care: services oriented to couples. International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics 61(3), 275–281 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Beegle, K (2001) Bargaining power within couples and use of prenatal and delivery care in Indonesia. Studies in Family Planning 32(2), 130–146.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bender, D, Santander, A, Balderrama, A, Arce, A and Medini, R (1995) Transforming the process of service delivery to reduce maternal mortality in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Reproductive Health Matters 3(6), 52–59.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bhalerao, VR (1984) Contribution of the education of the prospective fathers to the success of maternal health care programme. Journal of Postgraduate Medicine 30(1), 10–12.Google ScholarPubMed
Bhatta, DN (2013) Involvement of males in antenatal care, birth preparedness, exclusive breast feeding and immunizations for children in Kathmandu, Nepal. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 13, 14.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bloom, SS, Tsui, AO, Plotkin, M and Bassett, S (2000) What husbands in northern India know about reproductive health: correlates of knowledge about pregnancy and maternal and sexual health. Journal of Biosocial Science 32(2), 237–251.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Caleb-Varkey, L (2001) Involving Men in their Wives’ Antenatal and Postpartum Care in India. Research Update, Frontiers in Reproductive Health Program, Population Council, New Delhi.Google Scholar
CalebVarkey, L, Mishra, A, Das, A, Ottolenghi, E, Huntington, D, Adamchak, S, Khan, ME and Homan, F (2004) Involving Men in Maternity Care in India. Frontiers in Reproductive Health Program. Population Council, New Delhi, India.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chattopadhyay, A (2012) Men in maternal care: evidence from India. Journal of Biosocial Science 44(2), 129–153.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Drennan, M (1998) New perspectives on men’s participation. Population Reports 26(2), 1–35.Google Scholar
Dudgeon, MR and Inhorn, MC (2004) Men’s influences on women’s reproductive health: medical anthropological perspectives. Social Science & Medicine 59(7), 1379–1395.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
FAO, WHO, ILO and UNESCO (1998). Male involvement in reproductive health: incorporating gender throughout the life cycle. Technical Support Service System: Occasional Paper Series No. 1, June. URL: http://www.fao.org/3/x0257e/x0257e00.htm Google Scholar
Feyissa, TR and Genemo, GA (2014) Determinants of institutional delivery among childbearing age women in Western Ethiopia, 2013: unmatched case control study. PLoS One 9(5), e97194.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Government of India (2013) National Health Mission. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. URL: https://nhm.gov.in/index1.php?Lang=1&level=2&sublinkid=822&lid=218 (accessed 12th January 2019).Google Scholar
Greene, ME and Biddlecom, AE (2000) Absent and problematic men: demographic accounts of male reproductive roles. Population and Development Review 26(1), 81–115.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
IIPS (2007) National Family Health Survey (NFHS-III), 2005–06. IIPS, Mumbai.Google Scholar
IIPS & ICF (2017) National Family Health Survey (NFHS-IV), 2015–16. IIPS, Mumbai.Google Scholar
Iliyasu, Z, Abubakar, IS, Galadanci, HS and Aliyu, MH (2010) Birth preparedness, complication readiness and fathers’ participation in maternity care in a northern Nigerian community. African Journal of Reproductive Health 14(1), 21–32.Google Scholar
Jones, G, Steketee, RW and Black, RE (2003) How many child deaths can we prevent this year? Lancet 362(9377), 65–71.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jungari, S and Paswan, B (2019) What he knows about her and how it affects her. Husband’s knowledge of pregnancy complications and maternal health care utilization among tribal population in Maharashtra, India. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 19, 70.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kabakyenga, JK, Ostergren, PO, Turyakira, E and Pettersson, KO (2012) Influence of birth preparedness, decision-making on location of birth and assistance by skilled birth attendants among women in South-Western Uganda. PLoS One 7(4), e35747.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kaune, V and Guillermo, S (1998) Involving men in women’s health care. World Health 51(1), 18–19.Google Scholar
Khan, ME (1997) Involving men in safe motherhood. Journal of Family Welfare 43, 18–30.Google Scholar
Kululanga, LI, Sundby, J, Malata, A and Chirwa, E (2012) Male involvement in maternity health care in Malawi. African Journal of Reproductive Health 16(1), 145–157.Google ScholarPubMed
Lingerh, W, Ababeye, B, Ali, I and Nigatu, T (2014) Magnitude and factors that affect males’ involvement in deciding partners’ place of delivery in Tiyo District of Oromia region. Ethiopian Journal of Health Development 28(1), 6–13.Google Scholar
Mangeni, J, Nwangi, A, Mbugua, S and Mukthar, V (2014) Male involvement in maternal healthcare as a determinant of utilisation of skilled birth attendants in Kenya. East African Medicine Journal 89(11), 372–383.Google Scholar
Martin, LT, McNamara, MJ, Milot, AS, Halle, T and Hair, EC (2007) The effects of father involvement during pregnancy on receipt of prenatal care and maternal smoking. Maternal and Child Health Journal 11(6), 595–602.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mersha, AG (2018) Male involvement in the maternal health care system: implication towards decreasing the high burden of maternal mortality. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 18, 493 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mullany, BC (2010) Spousal agreement on maternal health practices in Kathmandu, Nepal. Journal of Biosocial Science 42(5), 689–693.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mullany, BC, Becker, S and Hindin, MJ (2007) The impact of including husbands in antenatal health education services on maternal health practices in urban Nepal: results from a randomized controlled trial. Health Education Research 22(2), 166–176 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nagawa, ES (1994) Absent husbands, unsupportive in-laws and rural African mothers. Reproductive Health Matters 2(4), 46–53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Olayemi, O, Bello, FA, Aimakhu, CO, Obajimi, GO and Adekunle, AO (2009) Male participation in pregnancy and delivery in Nigeria: a survey of antenatal attendees. Journal of Biosocial Science 41(4), 493–503.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pachauri, S (2001) Male involvement in reproductive health care. Journal of Indian Medical Association 99(3), 138–141.Google ScholarPubMed
Population Council (2005) Mixed Success Involving Men in Maternal Care Worldwide. Reprinted from Population Briefs 11(1). URL: http://www.popcouncil.org/pdfs/factsheets/RH_MenInMaternalCare_A4.pdf.%20GoogleScholar Google Scholar
Raju, S and Leonard, A (2000) Men as Supportive Partners in Reproductive Health: Moving from Rhetoric to Reality. Population Council, New Delhi.Google Scholar
Ramchandani, PG, Domoney, J, Sethna, V, Psychogiou, L, Vlachos, H and Murray, L (2013) Do early father–infant interactions predict the onset of externalising behaviours in young children? Findings from a longitudinal cohort study. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 54(1), 56–64.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Redshaw, M and Henderson, J (2013) Fathers’ engagement in pregnancy and childbirth: evidence from a national survey. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 13, 70.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schaffer, MA and Lia-Hoagberg, B (1997) Effects of social support on prenatal care and health behaviors of low-income women. Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Neonatal Nursing 26(4) 433–440.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Singh, KK, Bloom, SS and Tsui, AO (1998) Husbands’ reproductive health knowledge, attitudes, and behaviour in Uttar Pradesh, India. Studies in Family Planning 29(4), 388–399.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sinha, A and Chattopadhyay, A (2016) Utilization of maternal and child health care services in North and South India: does spousal violence matter? International Journal of Population Studies 2(2), 107–122.Google Scholar
Sreelekshmi, F, Sharika, S, Vidyakrishna, V et al. (2010) Risk factors of postpartum depression among married mothers attending SAT Hospital, Trivandrum. Australian Medical Journal 3, 222.Google Scholar
Srivastava, HC (2011) Determinants of male involvement as supportive partners in women’s reproductive health. In Ram, F et al. (eds) Population, Gender and Reproductive Health. Rawat, New Delhi.Google Scholar
Starrs, AM (2006) Safe motherhood initiative: 20 years and counting. Lancet 368(9542) 1130–1132.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Story, TW, Burgard, SS, Lori, RJ, Taleb, F, Ali, AN and Hoque, ED (2012) Husbands’ involvement in delivery care utilization in rural Bangladesh: a qualitative study. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 12, 28.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Teklesilasie, W and Deressa, W (2018) Husbands’ involvement in antenatal care and its association with women’s utilization of skilled birth attendants in Sidama zone, Ethiopia: a prospective cohort study. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 18, 315.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thaddeus, S and Maine, D (1994) Too far to walk: maternal mortality in context. Social Science & Medicine 38(8), 1091–1110.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wai, KM, Shibanuma, A, Oo, NN, Fillman, TJ, Saw, YM and Jimba, M (2015) Correction: are husbands involving in their spouses’ utilization of maternal care services? a cross-sectional study in Yangon, Myanmar. PLoS One 10(12), e0144135.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Walston, N (2005) Challenges and Opportunities for Male Involvement in Reproductive Health. POLICY Project/Cambodia, USAID, Cambodia.Google Scholar
WHO (WHO) (2015) WHO Recommendation on Interventions to Promote the Involvement of Men During Pregnancy, Childbirth and After Birth. WHO Reproductive Health Library, Geneva. URL: https://extranet.who.int/rhl/topics/improving-health-system-performance/who-recommendation-male-involvement-interventions-maternal-and-neonatal-health Google Scholar
Yargawa, J and Leonardi-Bee, Jo (2015) Male involvement and maternal health outcomes: systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 69, 604–612.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed