- Title
- Effect of male partners' involvement and support on reproductive, maternal and child health and well-being in East Africa: A scoping review
- Creator
- Fletcher, Richard; Forbes, Faye; Dadi, Abel Fekadu; Kassa, Getachew Mullu; Regan, Casey; Galle, Anna; Beyene, Addisu; Liackman, Rebecca; Temmerman, Marleen
- Relation
- Health Science Reports Vol. 7, Issue 8, no. e2269
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.2269
- Publisher
- John Wiley & Sons
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2024
- Description
- Background and Aims: East African countries have high rates of maternal and child mortality and morbidity. Studies have shown that the involvement of male partners in reproductive health can benefit maternal and child health (MCH). This scoping review aims to provide an overview of the evidence across East Africa that describes male partner involvement and its effect on maternal, reproductive, and child well-being. Methods: Ten databases were searched to identify quantitative data on male's involvement in East Africa. Studies reporting qualitative data, “intention to use” data or only reporting on male partner's education or economic status were excluded. Studies were organized into five a priori categories: antenatal care (ANC), human immunodeficiency virus, breastfeeding, family planning, and intimate partner violence with further categories developed based on studies included. Results: A total of 2787 records were identified; 644 full texts were reviewed, and 96 studies were included in this review. Data were reported on 118,967 mothers/pregnant women and 15,361 male partners. Most of the studies (n = 83) were reported from four countries Ethiopia (n = 49), Kenya (n = 14), Tanzania (n = 12) and Uganda (n = 10). The evidence indicates that male partner involvement and support is associated with improved reproductive, MCH across a wide range of outcomes. However, the studies were heterogeneous, using diverse exposure and outcome measures. Also, male partners' lack of practical and emotional support, and engagement in violent behaviors towards partners, were associated with profound negative impacts on MCH and well-being. Conclusions: The body of evidence, although heterogeneous, provides compelling support for male involvement in reproductive health programs designed to support MCH. To advance research in this field, an agreement is needed on a measure of male partner “involvement.” To optimize benefits of male partners' involvement, developing core outcome sets and regional coordination are recommended.
- Subject
- child health; East Africa; male partner involvement; maternal health; reproductive health care; SDG 3; SDG 5; SDG 16; SDG 17; Sustainable Development Goals
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1512608
- Identifier
- uon:56640
- Identifier
- ISSN:2398-8835
- Rights
- © 2024 The Authors. Health Science Reports published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.
- Language
- eng
- Full Text
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