Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Availability

Open Access Thesis

Keywords

Child care--Ethiopia; Fatherhood--Ethiopia; Father and infant--Ethiopia; Prenatal care--Ethiopia;

Abstract

There is a growing recognition among government and local public health systems in Ethiopia that male partners engagement and support during pregnancy and beyond can contribute to improvement in maternal and newborn health (MNH) outcomes and equitable gender roles. Men’s engagement in MNH is associated with the reduction of newborn and maternal mortality. However, in Ethiopia, there is a dearth of evidence on the trend of male engagement in MNH and the differences in male engagement between regional states. This study sought to explore the temporal trend and regional differences in male engagement in MNH in Ethiopia.

Data used for this study was from a publicly available and nationally representative Demographic Health Survey collected by the Ethiopian government in 2011 and 2016 on ever married or partnered men aged 15-49. Descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed to determine the national trend, regional variation, and factors associated with male engagement in MNH in Ethiopia.

The result of this study showed that there is an increasing trend in male engagement in MNH in Ethiopia. In 2016, 70.1% of men reported participating in MNH care, a 10.8 percentage point increase between 2011 and 2016. The male engagement was varied by region with highest in Tigray regional state (70.48%) and lowest in Somali regional state (43.19%). Findings revealed that men from the middle-class income group were more likely to engage in MNH (AOR 1.24, 95% CI 1.05-1.45) compared to their wealthy counterparts. In contrast, poor men had 24% lower odds of participating in MNH compared to their wealthy counterparts. Being from Christian religion (AOR 1.24, 95% CI 1.05-1.45), being from the Oromo ethnic group (AOR 1.04, 95% CI 1.05-1.45), and living in the rural area (AOR 1.24, 95% CI 1.05-1.45) increased the chances of men involving in MNH. Although there was a slight increase in male engagement in MNH as the level of the respondent’s education increased, the difference was not statistically significant.

Despite the increasing trend in male engagement in MNH in Ethiopia, there is a stark disparity among regional states. Given the role of male engagement in improving MNH, it is critical that the government, donors, and public health agencies design health education programs that promote male engagement, especially in the regional states where male engagement is very low. It is also important to consider factors that are found to be limiting for male engagement in each regional state. Culturally sensitive, religiously appropriate, and comprehensive approaches should be applied to encourage male engagement in MNH. Health education and sensitization of communities is fundamental for increasing awareness of the significance of male engagement in MNH.

Year of Submission

2020

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Department of Health, Recreation, and Community Services

First Advisor

Disa Cornish, Chair

Date Original

2020

Object Description

1 PDF file (vi, 43 pages)

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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