An Exploration of The Role Played by Men During Pregnancy and Childbirth in Kenya
A Case of Kitui West Sub County
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31686/ijier.vol9.iss6.3117Keywords:
ANC-attendees, non-ANC-attendees, husbands, fiancées, significant othersAbstract
According to gender mainstreaming principles, male involvement during pregnancy and childbirth is a pivotal strategy for improving birth outcomes. The objective of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of the role played by husbands and fiancées during pregnancy and childbirth. To gather data, 135 Antenatal care (ANC) attendees, 30 non-ANC-attendees, 5 nurses and 8 TBAs were interviewed from 10 randomly selected health facilities from 18 health facilities that offer comprehensive health care. This information was collected between 2017 and 2018 in Kitui West- Sub-County, Kenya and was collected through asking two pertinent questions; a) Whether expectant women sought permission before choosing place of delivery, b) Who determined final place of delivery. The study utilized quantitative and qualitative methods of study. Analysis of the study was done by content. From the results; 50 percent of Final place of delivery indicated that; 64 percent out of 135 ANC-attendees delivered in a health facility, 34 percent out of this number were encouraged by significant others. Fifty six percent out of the significant ones were husbands who directed their wives to deliver in a health facility. Out of 49 ANC-attendees who delivered at home, 36.7 percent were influenced by significant others. Out of these significant others, 27 percent were husbands. On the other hand, 6 respondents out of 30 non- ANC-attendees, delivered at home having been instructed by their husbands.
References
Bhalerao, V. R., Galwankar, M. M., Kowli, S. S., Kumar, R. R., and Chaturvedi, R. M. (1984). “Contribution of the Education of the Prospective Fathers to the Success of Maternal Health Care Programme”. Journal of Postgraduate Medicine 30: 10–12.
Brunson, J. (2010). Confronting Maternal Mortality, controlling Birth in Nepal: The Gendered Politics of Receiving Biomedical Care at Birth. Soc Sci Med. 2010; 71:1719–27. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2010.06.013
Carter, M. (2002). “Husbands and Maternal Health Matters in Rural Guatemala: Wives’ Reports on their Spouses’ Involvement in Pregnancy and Birth”. Social Science and Medicine 55: 437–450. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0277-9536(01)00175-7
Dudgeon, M. R. and Inhorn, M. C. (2004). “Men’s Influences on Women’s Reproductive Health: Medical Anthropological Perspectives”. Social Science and Medicine 59: 1379–1395. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2003.11.035
Kahsay, &Gebrehiwot, (2012) Assessment of Husbands’ Participation on Birth Preparedness and Complication Readiness in Enderta Woreda, Tigray Region, Ethiopia. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/woldegebriel_kahsay3on 29, December 2017.
Kaye, D. K., Kakaire, O., Nakimuli, A., Osinde, M. O., Mbalinda, S. N., &Kakande, N. (2014). Male Involvement During Pregnancy and Childbirth: Men’s Perceptions, Practices and Experiences During Care for Women Who Developed Childbirth Complications in Mulago Hospital, Uganda. Retrieved from http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2393/14/54on 29, December 2017. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2393-14-54
Kenya National Bureau of Statics & ICF Macro (2009). Retrieved fromhttp://www.childinfo.org on 15, January 2016.
Lewis, S., Lee, A., &Simkhada, P. (2015). The Role of Husbands in Maternal Health and Safe Childbirth in Rural Nepal: A Qualitative Study. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth (2015) 15:162 DOI 10.1186/s12884-015-0599-8 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-015-0599-8
Magoma, M., Requejo, J., Campbell, O., Cousens, S., and Filippi, V. (2010). High ANC Coverage and Low Skilled Attendance in A Rural Tanzanian District. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2393-10-13 on 12, January 2018 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2393-10-13
,
Mullany, B. C, Becker, S., and Hindin, M. J. (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: 166–176. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/her/cyl060
Owino, J. & Legault, F. (2013). A Practice Theory for Antenatal Care in Rural Kenya. The International Journal of Social Sciences, 10 (1), 2.
Varkey, L. C., Mishra, A. Das, A., Ottolenghi, E., Huntington, D., Adamchak, S., and Khan, M. E. (2004). Involving Men in Maternity Care in India. Washington DC: Population Council. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31899/rh4.1167
Woldemicael, G. (2007). Do women with higher autonomy seek more maternal and child DOI: https://doi.org/10.4054/MPIDR-WP-2007-035
health-care? Evidence from Ethiopia and Eritrea, 27. Retrieved from http://su.divaportal. On 29, December 2017.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2021 Paschalia Kavuli Mbutu, Wanjiru Gichuhi
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyrights for articles published in IJIER journals are retained by the authors, with first publication rights granted to the journal. The journal/publisher is not responsible for subsequent uses of the work. It is the author's responsibility to bring an infringement action if so desired by the author for more visit Copyright & License.
How to Cite
Accepted 2021-04-28
Published 2021-06-01
Most read articles by the same author(s)
- Paschalia Mbutu, Wanjiru Gichuhi, Grace Nyamongo, Traditional Birth Attendants and Childbirth in Kenya , International Journal for Innovation Education and Research: Vol. 6 No. 5 (2018): International Journal for Innovation Education and Research