Involvement of Spouses of Pregnant Mothers for Community-based Antenatal Sessions Conducted at Selected Medical Officer of Health Areas in Galle District

Abstract

Background: Antenatal care (ANC) involves systematic, routine assessment, care provision and health promotion for pregnant women to ensure optimal health outcomes. Involving male companions in antenatal sessions (ANS) are aimed at optimising family support and care for the mother and the child. The majority of men do not participate in ANC, highlighting the need to evaluate their participation, factors influencing their involvement, and obstacles preventing their utilisation of ANC. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of male involvement in ANS, their characteristics and associated factors to the community based ANS in Bope-Poddala and Galle MOH areas Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 219 couples with a pregnant mother attended to ANS at Bope-Poddala and Galle MOH areas. Data collection was carried out between January and February 2024 using convenient sampling via validated, pre-tested, self- administered questionnaires from pregnant women and their spouses who attended and interviewer-administered questionnaires from male spouses who did not attend to ANS. The data were analysed with Chi-square test and Pearson correlation using SPSS version 26.0. Results: About 28.8% (n=63) spouses attended the ANS. Most of male spouses 46% (n=29) who attended the ANS were educated up to Advanced Level and the 34.9% (n=22) have income between 31000-50000 LKR. Comparatively most of male spouses 48.1% (n=75) who did not attend the ANS were educated up to Ordinary Level and the 41.7% (n=65) have income between 10000-30000 LKR. Age (p=0.01), ethnicity (p=0.01), educational level (p=0.03), monthly income (p<0.01), mode of transportation (p<0.01), number of children (p=0.04), number of expectant children (p=0.01), satisfaction about ANC of male spouses (p<0.01) and pregnant mothers (p<0.01) were significantly associated with the involvement of male spouses for ANS. Conclusion: The male involvement in ANS of Bope-Poddala and Galle MOH areas was considerably low. The findings highlighted the need for health promotion programs to uplift the educational level, conduct ANS via online platform and making new policies to minimise disruptions during leave from work and empower the male involvement in ANS.