"He Does His Own and Walks Away" Perceptions About Male Attitudes and Practices Regarding Safe Motherhood in Ekiadolor, Southern Nigeria

Abstract

The main study objectives were to highlight male attitudes and practices regarding safe motherhood, and to demonstrate the usefulness of qualitative research methods in studying behaviour-related health problems. The setting was Ekiadolor, a semiurban Nigerian community with an under-resourced district hospital. The study design was a qualitative research, using Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with females and the local hospital staff as participants, triangulated with Free Listing Interviews (FLIs) and group interviews of males. The FGD findings showed a consensus that male practices and attitudes were generally unsatisfactory, as exemplified by physical violence against females, delay in enabling access to emergency obstetric care and a general perception that males were uncaring. However, many males paid parts of their partners' routine obstetric care bills. These findings were largely corroborated and enriched by those of the FLIs and group interviews, albeit with differing emphases; they provided vital inputs into health education of the community males. In conclusion, the wide range of attitudes and practices described, and the socioeconomic settings in which they occur, pose challenges and opportunities for behaviour change interventions primarily targeting males, poverty reduction and health service reforms. Health researchers are challenged to draw from the varied strengths of qualitative research methods. RÉSUMÉ"IL FAIT LE SIEN ET IL S'EN VA". Perceptions à l'égard des attitudes et des pratiques des hommes concernant la maternité sans danger à Ekiadolor, au sud du Nigéria Les objectifs principaux de l'étude étaient de mettre l'accent sur les attitudes et les pratiques des hommes concernant la maternité sans danger et de démontrer les bénéfices des méthodes de la recherche qualitative dans l'étude des problèmes de santé liés au comportement. Le cadre était Ekiadolor, une communauté semi-urbaine nigériane qui dispose d'un hôpital régional qui ne dispose pas de ressources nécessaires. La conception de l'étude était une recherche qualitative, à l'aide des Discussions à Groupe Cible (DGC) ayant les femmes et le personnel local de l'hôpital comme participants, triangulé avec les interviews libres (IL) et les interviews en groupe pour les hommes. Les résultats du DGC ont montré un consensus sur le fait que les pratiques et les attitudes des hommes étaient dans l'ensemble peu satisfaisantes, comme elles ont été manifestées par la violence physique contre les femmes, le retard par rapport à l'accès aux soins obstétriques d'urgence et une perception générale que les hommes sont insensibles. Néanmoins, beaucoup d'hommes ont payé une partie des facteurs de routine de leurs partenaires pour les soins obstétriques. Ces résultats ont été largement corroborés et enrichis par ceux des ILs et des interviews en groupes, quoique avec des accents différents; ils ont donné des apports importants à l'éducation de la santé des hommes dans la société. En conclusion, les grandes varieties d'attitudes et des pratiques dé...

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Using Local Culture and Gender Roles to Improve Male Involvement in Maternal Health in Southern Nigeria

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