Male Involvement in Birth Preparedness through Health Facility Community Dialogue in Kajiado County- Kenya

Abstract

Birth preparedness enhances readiness to handle pregnancy complications and probable delays experienced in seeking obstetric care. Male partners in the society are key influencers of maternal health outcome due to their financial power and cultural endowment that male figures command in the society hence impact on birth preparedness. In Kenya, there is limited data on male involvement in birth preparedness through health facility community dialogue. The study thematic area explored the influence of male partner factors on birth preparedness through health facility community dialogue in Kajiado County- Kenya. The study employed explorative-descriptive qualitative research design. The target population was households with male partners/spouses, married men who had children aged 0-2 years, aged 18 years and above. The study concluded that male partner perception, level of education, age at marriage, communication among partners and economic status had negatively influenced male partner involvement in birth preparedness. The study recommended that the County Government of Kajiado to come up with community engagement forums to dialogue with the community on birth preparedness through open maternity day forums and change the male perception on birth preparedness. The study also recommended that the Ministry of Education to empower the boy child by retention in school, the way it has system in place to track the status of the girl child in school for nomadic communities, this will avert early school dropout that leads to early marriages and high index of poverty levels. Finally, the male partners should foster communication between spouses to improve on pregnancy outcome. Keywords: Male Involvement, Birth Preparedness, Health Facility Community Dialogue