Husbands’ participation in birth preparedness and complication readiness plan in Kucha district, Gamo Zone, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

Background Birth-preparedness and complication-readiness (BPCR) is the process of planning for normal birth and anticipating the actions needed in case of an emergency. The involvement of husband during pregnancy helps a mother to make timely decisions to avoid delays. Identifying the level of husband involvement in Birth-preparedness and complication-readiness is very important, as husband is the major decision maker in household and health service related issue. However, there is no sufficient data in the Kucha district, which describes the level of husband involvement in Birth-preparedness and complication-readiness. Therefore, this study assessed the level of husband involvement in birth preparedness and complication readiness in Kucha District, Gamo Zone, Ethiopia. Methods Community-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 421 husbands whose wife gave birth within the last 12 months at Kucha District using simple random sampling technique. Data was collected using a pretested interviewer-administered questionnaire by trained data collectors. Binary and multivariable logistic regression with odds ratios along with the 95% confidence interval analysis were employed to find factors associated with the level of husband involvement. A p-value <0.05 with 95% confidence level used to decide statistical significance. Results Data were collected from 421 study participants. One hundred twenty-seven (30.2%) were involved in birth preparedness and complication readiness plan. Participants who had at least secondary school education AOR = 3.1, CI (1.84–5.23), had at least four antenatal care visits AOR = 4.91, CI (2.36–10.2), and live more than five km from the health care facility AOR = 2.35, CI = 1.40–3.96) were involved in birth preparedness and complication readiness plan. Conclusion Husbands’ involvement in birth preparedness and complication readiness was low. Husband’s higher educational level, high frequency of antenatal care, and long distance to the health facility were significantly associated with husbands’ involvement in Birth-preparedness and complication-readiness plan. Therefore, advocating for higher frequency of antenatal care and improving educational level are important to increase husbands’ involvement in birth preparedness and complication readiness plan.