Barriers to Males Involvement in Family Planning Services in Arba Minch Town, Southern Ethiopia: Qualitative Case Study

Tamiso, Alemu; Tassew, Admasu; Bekele, Henok; Zemede, Zale; Dulla, Admasu

doi:10.11591/.v5i1.4762

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 8 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Positive attitude counteracts the prevailing hostile environment fueled by myths and misconceptions surrounding uptake and male partner involvement in family planning [ 18 ]. Our findings are consistent with studies that cite misconceptions and fear of side effects as the major deterrents for male involvement in family planning [ 19 – 21 ]. Subjective norms such as escorting the partner to the clinic and motivation to show support for the woman was perceived to motivate some male partners to be involved in family planning.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Enablers and barriers of male involvement in the use of modern family planning methods in Eastern Uganda: a qualitative study

Tekakwo,

Nabirye,

Nantale

et al. 2023

Contracept Reprod Med

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Male involvement plays a critical role in the utilization of various sexual and reproductive health services. We explored enablers and barriers of male involvement in the use of modern family planning methods in Eastern Uganda. Methods This was a qualitative study in Mbale, Eastern Uganda done between November and December 2022. We conducted three group discussions comprising of four participants each, with male partners and eight key informant interviews with midwives. We followed a group discussion guide during the group discussions and an interview guide during the key informant interviews to explore enablers and barriers of male involvement in the use of modern family planning methods. All the interviews and group discussions were audio-recorded with permission from the participants, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed following thematic content analysis approach. Results Two sub-themes emerged from the analysis; perceived enablers and barriers. The perceived enablers included positive attitude, subjective norms, need to support the woman, mutual consent, limited resources and expected benefits of reducing gender-based violence and sexually transmitted infections. Lack of male partner consent, busy work engagement, social stigma, religious prohibition, desire for many children and gender roles incompatibility hindered male partner involvement in family planning. Fear of side effects and misconceptions, unconducive hospital environment in form of mistreatment, family planning considered a female’s issue, and lack of consideration of male partner needs in family planning clinic were additional barriers to male involvement. Conclusion Male involvement in family planning was related to positive attitude and subjective norms towards family planning, mutual consent, and recognition for limited resources to support a large family size. Lack of male partner approval, fear of side effects and misconceptions, unconducive hospital environment and social, cultural and religious prohibitions discouraged male partner involvement in family planning. Community based approaches to family planning sensitization, such as community education campaigns, may be an important step toward reducing barriers to male involvement in the use of modern family planning methods.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%