Correlates of male involvement in maternal and newborn health: a cross-sectional study of men in a peri-urban region of Myanmar

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

Stanley Luchters³  Jessica Davis⁴  Christopher Morgan⁸  Paul A. Agius⁶  May May Khin¹  Kyu Kyu Than²  Myo Myo Mon⁵  Frances Ampt⁷ 

[1] Burnet Institute, Yangon, Myanmar;Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia;International Centre for Reproductive Health, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium;Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia;Department of Medical Research (Lower Myanmar), Ministry of Health, Yangon, Myanmar;Judith Lumley Centre, Faculty of Health Sciences, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia;School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia;Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia

关键词: Cross-sectional studies;    Sexual and reproductive health;    South East Asia;    Burma;    Myanmar;    Gender and health;    Women’s health;    Maternal, newborn and child health;    Maternal and newborn health;    Male involvement;   

Others  :  1206404
DOI  :  10.1186/s12884-015-0561-9

 received in 2014-12-29, accepted in 2015-05-18,  发布年份 2015

【 摘 要 】

Background

Evidence suggests that increasing male involvement in maternal and newborn health (MNH) may improve MNH outcomes. However, male involvement is difficult to measure, and further research is necessary to understand the barriers and enablers for men to engage in MNH, and to define target groups for interventions. Using data from a peri-urban township in Myanmar, this study aimed to construct appropriate indicators of male involvement in MNH, and assess sociodemographic, knowledge and attitude correlates of involvement.

Methods

A cross-sectional study of married men with one or more children aged up to one year was conducted in 2012. Structured questionnaires measured participants’ involvement in MNH, and their sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge and attitudes. An ordinal measure of male involvement was constructed describing the subject’s participation across five areas of MNH, giving a score of 1–4. Proportional-odds regression models were developed to determine correlates of male involvement.

Results

A total of 210 men participated in the survey, of which 203 provided complete data. Most men reported involvement level scores of either 2 or 3 (64 %), with 13 % reporting the highest level (score of 4). Involvement in MNH was positively associated with wives’ level of education (AOR = 3.4; 95 % CI: 1.9-6.2; p < 0.001) and men’s level of knowledge of MNH (AOR = 1.2; 95 % CI: 1.1-1.3; p < 0.001), and negatively correlated with number of children (AOR = 0.78; 95 % CI: 0.63-0.95; p = 0.016).

Conclusions

These findings can inform the design of programs aiming to increase male involvement, for example by targeting less educated couples and addressing their knowledge of MNH. The composite index proved a useful summary measure of involvement; however, it may have masked differential determinants of the summed indicators. There is a need for greater understanding of the influence of gender attitudes on male involvement in Myanmar and more robust indicators that capture these gender dynamics for use both in Myanmar and globally.

【 授权许可】

   
2015 Ampt et al.; licensee BioMed Central.

【 图 表 】

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