Assessing Male Involvement in Maternal and Newborn Health in Ghana

Abstract

Background: Although global and national policies increasingly recognise the importance of involving men in maternal and newborn care, male participation continues to be limited due to socio-cultural beliefs and gendered decision-making structures. This study aims to assess men’s involvement in MNH in Ghana by examining their attitudes toward gender norms and shared decision-making in in maternal and reproductive health within households. Methodology: They adopted a cross-sectional secondary data analysis approach, drawing on nationally representative data from the men’s questionnaire of the GDHS 2022. Measures of gender attitudes and participation in household decision-making were used to assess men’s involvement in maternal and reproductive health. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize key attitudes, while chi-square tests and logistic regression will assess associations between sociodemographic characteristics and gender-equitable views. All analyses will be conducted using Stata version 18. Results/Findings: A total of 3,726 men aged 15–59 years were included in the analysis. The majority of respondents (83.3%) exhibited gender-equitable attitudes, with over 90% rejecting the justification of wife-beating across all scenarios. Gender-equitable attitudes were significantly associated with age, education, wealth status, place of residence, religion, and region (p < 0.001), with more equitable attitudes observed among older, more educated, and wealthier men. Male involvement in maternal health was relatively high, with 73.6% of respondents reporting participation. At the bivariate level, involvement was significantly associated with gender-equitable attitudes, age, education, place of residence, and region (p < 0.05), but not with wealth status. Multivariate analysis showed that men with gender-equitable attitudes were significantly more likely to be involved in antenatal care (AOR = 1.65; 95% CI: 1.12–2.44). Increasing age was also associated with higher involvement, with men aged 35–44 years having the highest odds (AOR = 2.63; 95% CI: 1.37–5.03). Only tertiary education was significantly associated with involvement (AOR = 2.23; 95% CI: 1.18–4.20). Additionally, Muslim men (AOR = 1.74; 95% CI: 1.12–2.69) had higher odds of involvement compared to Christians. Conclusion: The study demonstrates that while gender-equitable attitudes are prevalent among Ghanaian men, these do not fully translate into equitable household practices, particularly indecision-making. The findings highlight the critical role of gender norms in shaping male participation in maternal health and the need for gender-transformative interventions that address both individual attitudes and broader socio-cultural dynamics.