The ‘pregnant man’: a perceived role for husbands in maternal and child health risk reduction in rural Ghana

Abstract

Background/Aims The concept of the ‘pregnant man’ was developed to encourage pregnant women's partners to be involved in pregnancy in a culture that does not encourage men's involvement in ‘womanly’ affairs. It is intended to encourage men to support their wives in seeking maternal care during pregnancy, to reduce risk and encourage a safe birth at a hospital facility. This study's aim was to explore the role of husbands during their wife's pregnancy. Methods This was a mixed-methods, community-based, cross-sectional study with couples who had a child <1 year old or who were pregnant. For quantitative data collection, 398 respondents (194 husbands and 194 wives) reported their opinions on male partner involvement and its barriers. A sample of 20 women participated in focus group discussions for qualitative data collection. These data were analysed using oral reflective analysis. Results Few men (15.5%) and even fewer women (9.3%) reported that husbands regularly participated in antenatal care visits. The reasons for this lack of involvement included being ‘too busy’ (18.1%), financial constraints (7.5%) and antenatal care opening hours restricting working husbands from accompanying their wives (13.8%). Conclusions Community-based education and husband-to-husband peer education should be prioritised by the Ghana health service to encourage men to be involved in their partner's antenatal care during pregnancy. More research is needed on partner engagement in maternal and child health services, particularly earlier in a woman's pregnancy.