Family Planning and the Samburu: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Thoughts of Men on a Population Health and Environment Programme in Rural Kenya

Abstract

Population Health and Environment (PHE) strategies are argued to improve ecosystem and human health by addressing family size and its effects on natural resource use, food security, and reproductive health. This study investigates men’s views on a PHE family planning (FP) programme delivered among the pastoral Samburu tribe in rural northern Kenya. Three focus group discussions and nine semi-structured interviews were conducted with 27 Samburu men. These discussions revealed support for environmentally-sensitised family planning promotion. Men highlighted their dependency on natural resources and challenges faced in providing for large families and maintaining livestock during drought. These practices were said to lead to natural resource exhaustion, environmental degradation, and wildlife dispersal, undermining key economic benefits of environmental and wildlife conservation. Relating family size to the environment is a compelling strategy to improve support for FP among Samburu men. Kenyan policy-makers should consider integrating community-based PHE strategies among underserved pastoral groups living in fragile ecosystems.

Family planning and resilience: associations found in a Population, Health, and Environment (PHE) project in Western Tanzania

“…While research indicates that integrating family planning and improved reproductive health care into sectors known to contribute to resilience, such as natural resources management, livelihoods, food security, nutrition, and water resources, could further increase that resilience (De Souza 2014; Crist et al 2017; Naik and Smith 2015; Smith and Smith 2015; Patterson 2018), establishing and measuring the pathways through which resilience is enhanced and the links, if any, among various sectors, is a challenge (Berkes et al 2003). Currently, the two main links between resilience and family planning and improved reproductive health care found in the literature are (1) the positive effects of the ability to space and plan births on the health of mothers and children (Kock and Prost 2017) and (2) the association between fertility and environmental change. The former fits within the wider link between health and resilience, which posits that good health at the population and individual level are important for short-term response to and long-term recovery from disturbance (NBSB 2014), and that healthy individuals are better able to physically and psychologically withstand events like natural disasters and emotionally cope with the trauma that accompanies any sort of major disturbance (Werner 1995).…”

Factors associated with fertility limiting intention and contraceptive use among currently married men in India

“…Previous studies demonstrated that men in agrarian subsistence economies prefer large numbers of children both as a source of labor and economic gain, and as a source of prestige (Bankole and Singh, 1998;Blacker, Opiyo, Jasseh, et al, 2005;Ayhan, Gözükara, and Koruk, 2017;Hardee, Croce-Galis, and Gay, 2017). It is thus possible that men in the agricultural sector were more likely to wish to stop having one additional child, which is reflected in our findings (Kock and Prost, 2017). Our findings also show that men in the agricultural sector were associated with lower odds of using contraception (Adanikin, McGrath and Padmadas, 2017;Dral, Tolani, Smet, et al, 2018).).…”

“The phone number tells us good things we didn’t know before.” Use of interactive voice response calling for improving knowledge and uptake of family planning methods among Maasai in Tanzania

“…A prior study has shown that Maasai men have a negative perception of family planning because it will lower the birth rate and cause infertility. Also, Maasai believed that having many children was a sign of wealth and prestige in the community [22]. However, our study shows that Maasai were interested to use family planning and apply child spacing in order to satisfy the family's needs including education, shelter, and food.…”

“…Many areas become green for grazing the cattle, and as a result, Maasai men spend more time with their families and wives at bomas. A study in Kenya described a similar trend during the rainy season, in which Maasai men spend time on other issues such as traditional ceremonies, selling or buying cattle, and expanding their families [22].…”