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Cited by 8Global Maternal and Child HealthMale Reproductive Health StudiesMaternal and Neonatal Healthcare

Community Perspective of Male Involvement in Maternal Health Care in Uttarakhand, India: A Qualitative Study

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Kaushal, Pawna, Khapre, Meenakshi, Das, Amity, Kumari, Ranjeeta, Sharma, Megha·2023·The Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology of India
DOI 10.1007/s13224-022-01672-5PMC PMC10105805
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Abstract

Background Due to the significant role of male in decision making in India, they may decide if, when and where a woman may access antenatal, delivery and postnatal care; and whether or not to provide financial resources to travel to these services. Men's involvement in maternity care is recognized as a key strategy in improving maternal health and accelerating the reduction of maternal mortality. This study explores key components and challenges to male involvement in maternal health care (MHC). Methods Focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with a purposive sample of the community key stakeholders from the field practice area of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, (AIIMS) Rishikesh from October 2020 to January 2021. Manual thematic analysis with a semantic approach was used for the data analysis. Themes were prioritized using Participatory rural appraisal (PRA) technique. Results Twenty-three participants represented the heterogeneous group of key stakeholders. Stakeholders identified the need for improved awareness regarding MHC services among men. Husband involvement is affected by availability (work stations at different places), literacy, gender-based work domain and social cultures, finances and health facility environment.Four major themes were identified: Male involvement in antenatal, intranatal; postnatal care; and barriers to male involvement in MHC. Sub-themes under male involvement in antenatal care; intranatal care; and postnatal care were further prioritized via PRA as 'very important'; 'important' and 'not so important' and scores were given as 3, 2 and 1 respectively. Conclusions Male involvement is a key strategy to improve pregnancy outcome; however, different challenges exist in their involvement in the maternal health care. Current study helped to contextualize the perception regarding importance of male involvement in MHC; and the situation of study area in order to understand social and cultural factors that shape the behavior and practices of men in relation to their involvement.

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  • Decisions about women's healthcare and vaccination are often made at the household level, with input from husbands, in-laws, and other family members.

    “Decisions about women’s healthcare and vaccination are thus often made at the household level, with input from husbands, in-laws, and other family members [50–52].”

    From Acceptability of HPV vaccination for cervical cancer prevention amongst emerging adult women in rural Mysore, India: a mixed-methods study (2024) · cites this paper as [51]

    Theme 1: Male Involvement in Antenatal Care and the Table 2 quotation support joint planning of maternal healthcare by husbands and wives, with a mention of other family members. The paper does not identify in-laws as decision-makers or address decisions about women’s vaccination; Theme 3 discusses newborn immunization instead. No page numbers are available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.87)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Cited by

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Authors
Kaushal, P., Khapre, M., Das, A., Kumari, R., & Sharma, M.
Affiliations
All India Institute of Medical Sciences Rishikesh (IN)
Corresponding author
Kaushal, Pawna
ORCID
Venue
The Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology of India
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2022-09-10
Volume
73
Issue
2
Pages
113-122
ISSN
  • 0971-9202 (ISSN-L)
  • 0975-6434
DOI
10.1007/s13224-022-01672-5
PMC
PMC10105805
OpenAlex
W4295113571
Cited by
8
References
1
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 2
FWCI
1.92
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • The Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology of India (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Global Maternal and Child Health
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Male Reproductive Health Studies
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Maternal and Neonatal Healthcare
Keywords
husband involvement, prenatal care, intrapartum care, postpartum care, barriers to male involvement, community perceptions, gender roles, sociocultural factors, access to maternal health services, Uttarakhand

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