Abstract:
Men’s involvement in the health of their
partners and children can play an important
role in improving health outcomes. Many
interventions in reproductive, maternal, and
child health adopt strategies that seek to
increase men’s positive, equitable, and
supportive involvement. This study used data
from men’s responses in Demographic and
Health Surveys (DHS) in 33 countries. We
linked this information with information from
women’s survey responses on outcomes for
family planning, maternal, and child health
outcomes. The objective was to learn whether
men’s involvement, defined as having correct
knowledge, positive attitudes, and supportive
behaviors toward the health of their partners
and children, has an association with
specific reproductive, maternal, and child
health outcomes. Adjusted logistic regression
models were run for each outcome and its
corresponding independent variable of
interest, adjusting for control variables.
Although in general few countries exhibited
significant findings, the analysis found some
significance in the associations between
men’s involvement variables and outcomes
related to family planning, antenatal care,
and child health. The behavior of men
discussing family planning with a health care
worker showed significant association with
their partners’ modern contraceptive use in
most countries. Some countries exhibited a
greater number of significant findings
compared with other countries, which suggests
the need for qualitative studies that could
help explain these country-specific findings.
The study also points to the need for
strengthened measures within DHS surveys to
capture men’s knowledge, attitudes, and
behavior related to reproductive, maternal,
and child health.
Does Men's Involvement Improve the Health Outcomes of Their Partners and Children? (PDF, 3143K)