Strategies to enhance indigenous men’s support for utilisation of LARCs among women in Kiboga and Rubanda districts in Uganda

Abstract

Abstract Globally, unintended pregnancies pose a significant public health concern, affecting several women in low- and middle-income nations, with an estimated annual incidence of 74 million. The African continent is responsible for around 25% of unwanted pregnancies worldwide. Unintended pregnancies may result in many health-related issues for both mothers and children including deaths. The use of family planning methods, especially long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs), is one of the effective approaches to mitigating maternal mortality, especially those resulting from effects of unplanned pregnancies. The LARCs help women delay pregnancies and enable them to have longer birth intervals between childbirths but the uptake of those methods in Uganda, is hindered by the lack of men’s support. The aim of this qualitative research study was to gain insight into the perceptions and belief systems of indigenous Ugandan men living in the Rubanda and Kiboga districts of Uganda on the use of LARCs to develop appropriate strategies for increasing male support of methods. Purposive sampling was used to select 50 participants for focus group interviews and individual interviews and 25 participants for individual interviews. The participants were exclusively married men or those in with female sexual partners between the ages of 20 and 49 years. Semi-structured interview guide for both in-depth individual and focus group interviews were used. Data analysis was done by transcribing the interviews, sorting the field notes, organizing, and storing the data, listening to recordings, and reading field notes for patterns related to the perceptions. The patterns were coded and categorised to build the theme emerging on the phenomenon. The study established negative perceptions and belief systems among rural indigenous Ugandan men regarding the use of LARCs by their wives, which acted as barriers to utilisation. These included fear of side effects, desires, and cultural and religious beliefs. The study recommended four strategies to address negative perceptions and belief systems. They include strengthening Social Behavioural Change Communication (SBCC)and LARCs service delivery to address the perception and beliefs resulting from limited knowledge and poor service delivery for LARCs.