Abstract:

Introduction: Male involvement in reproductive health services has been associated with improvement of maternal and child health outcomes and hence education of maternal and child health morbidity and mortality rate particularly in developing countries like Tanzania.

Aim: The study design was cross sectional involving married men with at least one child birth or having a pregnant wife. The study was community based where by house to house survey using a structured questionnaire was conducted among randomly selected married men. Systematic sampling technique used for the selection of participants in the ward. The total number of households in the ward was identified and randomly sampled households was selected and the number of each village. Data analyzed using SPSS software for windows version 20.0. Obtained results disseminated to the dispensaries officers in charge, ward executive officer (WEO) and at Sengerema district medical officer (DMO) office and also will be made available at CUHAS library.

Results: The study included 266 participants from three villages of Igalula ward, majority were from Igalula village 129 (49.0%). All the participants were males. From the data presented above majority of the study participants were Sukuma by tribe 227 (85.3%) and are married 262 (98.5%). Majority were aged between 30-39 which is 103 (39.2%) and between 20-29 which were 78 (29.3%) out of 266 participants 184 (69.2%) male have participated and attended maternal clinic during pregnancy or delivery of their wives while 82 (30.8%) have not attended any of maternal services. More than half of the participants, 159 equivalent to 59.8% attended to underfive clinics while 40.2%, 107 participants did not attend. Generally there was higher participation in antenatal clinic than under five clinic, 69.2% and 59.8% respectively. The prevalence of men who accompany their wives to ANC is 0.68 while the prevalence of men who attend with their under five children to under five clinic is 0.59.

Majority hindering factors of male participation in various reproductive health services seem to be their poor perception of the services such as considering the reproductive health services are for women only 138 (51.9%) of the participants had such a perception. Another slightly larger proportion were hindered by feared side effects of the offered services 57 (21.4%) other factors were, lack information or health education 26 (9.8%) of the participants. Poor services provided and lack of enough time, 18 (6.8%) and 27 (10.2%) respectively. Male involvement to different reproductive and child health is an important matter and it has got soon many factors in motivating them to participate in reproductive health services. Among the factors which the current and encounter includes the desire to know the health status of their partners and their children 50% participants said that just came to clinic because they wanted to know the health status of their wives and children.

In conclusion, the high rate male attendance at RH clinics in Igalula ward at Sengerema district was mainly related to PMTCT and ANC services and then followed by under-five clinics. STDS and FP with the strongest factor motivating being the stronger desire to know the health status of their wives and children.

Keywords: male involvement, reproductive health, child health.