NDLI: Male involvement in reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health: evaluating gaps between policy and practice in Uganda

Content Provider	Springer Nature : BioMed Central
Author	Gopal, Prerna Fisher, Duncan Seruwagi, Gloria Taddese, Henock B.
Abstract	Introduction Male involvement in maternal and child health is a practice wherein fathers and male community members actively participate in caring for women and supporting their family to access better health services. There is positive association between male involvement and better maternal and child health outcomes. However, the practice is not always practiced optimally, especially in low- and middle-income countries, where women may not have access to economic resources and decision-making power. Aim This study investigates how key stakeholders within the health system in Uganda engage with the ‘male involvement’ agenda and implement related policies. We also analyzed men’s perceptions of male involvement initiatives, and how these are influenced by different political, economic, and organizational factors. Methodology This is a qualitative study utilizing data from 17 in-depth interviews and two focus group discussions conducted in Kasese and Kampala, Uganda. Study participants included men involved in a maternal health project, their wives, and individuals and organizations working to improve male involvement; all purposively selected. Result Through thematic analysis, four major themes were identified: ‘gaps between policy and practice’, ‘resources and skills’, ‘inadequate participation by key actors’, and ‘types of dissemination’. These themes represent the barriers to effective implementation of male involvement policies. Most health workers interviewed have not been adequately trained to provide male-friendly services or to mobilize men. Interventions are highly dependent on external aid and support, which in turn renders them unsustainable. Furthermore, community and religious leaders, and men themselves, are often left out of the design and management of male involvement interventions. Finally, communication and feedback mechanisms were found to be inadequate. Conclusion To enable sustainable behavior change, we suggest a ‘bottom-up’ approach to male involvement that emphasizes solutions developed by or in tandem with community members, specifically, fathers and community leaders who are privy to the social norms, structures, and challenges of the community.
Related Links	https://reproductive-health-journal.biomedcentral.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s12978-020-00961-4.pdf
Ending Page	9
Page Count	9
Starting Page	1
File Format	HTM / HTML
ISSN	17424755
DOI	10.1186/s12978-020-00961-4
Journal	Reproductive Health
Issue Number	1
Volume Number	17
Language	English
Publisher	BioMed Central
Publisher Date	2020-07-27
Access Restriction	Open
Subject Keyword	Reproductive Medicine Public Health Maternal and Child Health Male involvement Reproductive Maternal Newborn And child health Uganda Policy implementation Resources Skill Community
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Obstetrics and Gynecology Reproductive Medicine
Journal Impact Factor	3.6/2023
5-Year Journal Impact Factor	4/2023

Sl.	Authority	Responsibilities	Communication Details
1	Ministry of Education (GoI), Department of Higher Education	Sanctioning Authority	https://www.education.gov.in/ict-initiatives
2	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Host Institute of the Project: The host institute of the project is responsible for providing infrastructure support and hosting the project	https://www.iitkgp.ac.in
3	National Digital Library of India Office, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	The administrative and infrastructural headquarters of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in
4	Project PI / Joint PI	Principal Investigator and Joint Principal Investigators of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti will be added soon
5	Website/Portal (Helpdesk)	Queries regarding NDLI and its services	support@ndl.gov.in
6	Contents and Copyright Issues	Queries related to content curation and copyright issues	content@ndl.gov.in
7	National Digital Library of India Club (NDLI Club)	Queries related to NDLI Club formation, support, user awareness program, seminar/symposium, collaboration, social media, promotion, and outreach	clubsupport@ndl.gov.in
8	Digital Preservation Centre (DPC)	Assistance with digitizing and archiving copyright-free printed books	dpc@ndl.gov.in
9	IDR Setup or Support	Queries related to establishment and support of Institutional Digital Repository (IDR) and IDR workshops	idr@ndl.gov.in

Traditional birth attendants (TBAs) as potential agents in promoting male involvement in maternity preparedness: insights from a rural community in Uganda

The involvement of men in maternal health care: cross-sectional, pilot case studies from Maligita and Kibibi, Uganda

Male involvement in birth preparedness and complication readiness for emergency obstetric referrals in rural Uganda

Non-communicable diseases and reproductive health in sub-Saharan Africa: bridging the policy-implementation gaps

Maternal and newborn healthcare practices: assessment of the uptake of lifesaving services in Hoima District, Uganda

Community involvement in obstetric emergency management in rural areas: a case of Rukungiri district, Western Uganda

Effect of community – facility linked interventions on maternal health service utilization and newborn care in rural low-resource settings in Eastern Uganda

Barriers to male involvement in contraceptive uptake and reproductive health services: a qualitative study of men and women’s perceptions in two rural districts in Uganda

Impact of the Momentum pilot project on male involvement in maternal health and newborn care in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo: a quasi-experimental study

Male involvement in reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health: evaluating gaps between policy and practice in Uganda

Similar Documents

Traditional birth attendants (TBAs) as potential agents in promoting male involvement in maternity preparedness: insights from a rural community in Uganda

The involvement of men in maternal health care: cross-sectional, pilot case studies from Maligita and Kibibi, Uganda

Male involvement in birth preparedness and complication readiness for emergency obstetric referrals in rural Uganda

Non-communicable diseases and reproductive health in sub-Saharan Africa: bridging the policy-implementation gaps

Maternal and newborn healthcare practices: assessment of the uptake of lifesaving services in Hoima District, Uganda

Community involvement in obstetric emergency management in rural areas: a case of Rukungiri district, Western Uganda

Effect of community – facility linked interventions on maternal health service utilization and newborn care in rural low-resource settings in Eastern Uganda

Barriers to male involvement in contraceptive uptake and reproductive health services: a qualitative study of men and women’s perceptions in two rural districts in Uganda

Impact of the Momentum pilot project on male involvement in maternal health and newborn care in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo: a quasi-experimental study

Male involvement in reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health: evaluating gaps between policy and practice in Uganda