Involving men in pregnancy: a cross-sectional analysis of the role of self-efficacy, gender-equitable attitudes, relationship dynamics and knowledge among men in Kinshasa
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SUBMITTER: Wood F
PROVIDER: S-EPMC11202384 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Inequitable gender norms can contribute to rapid repeat pregnancies and adverse maternal health outcomes among adolescent girls and young women. This study examined associations between male partners’ gender-equitable attitudes and behaviors and postpartum family planning (FP) and maternal and newborn health (MNH) outcomes among first-time mothers aged 15–24 in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Participants were 1335 couples who were successfully interviewed in the Momentum project’s 2018 baseline and 2020 endline surveys. Multivariable regression models were used to analyze predictors of postpartum FP discussion and use, shared MNH decision making, completion of the maternal health continuum of care, and exclusive breastfeeding. Male involvement in maternal health was significantly associated with FP discussion and shared decision making. Male partners’ willingness to be involved in routine childcare and shared decision making were significant positive predictors of exclusive breastfeeding. Postpartum FP outcomes were shaped by the intersection of marital status and male partners’ gender-equitable attitudes, intimate partner violence perpetration, and willingness to engage in routine childcare activities to constitute advantage for some outcomes and disadvantage for others. Interventions must use multiple measures to better understand how young mothers’ health outcomes are shaped by their male partners’ gender-related attitudes and behaviors.
| S-EPMC9565980 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectivesTo investigate the role of the intersection of maternal empowerment, paternal gender-equitable attitudes, and household wealth in stunting and severe stunting among underfives in India.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingCommunity-based setting, nationally representative household survey from India.ParticipantsWe used a sample of 22 867 mother-father-child triads from the fourth round of India's National Family Health Survey (2015-2016). Our inclusion criterion was children below the age of 5 years. The exclusion criterion was a lack of information on paternal gender-equitable attitudes and maternal empowerment. Observations with missing data on any of the covariates were also excluded.Primary outcomeStunting and severe stunting among underfives in India.ResultsOur survey-adjusted logistic regression models revealed that even among children from poorer households, those with either an empowered mother or a father with gender-equitable attitudes versus those with none such parents, had a lower odds of stunting (adjusted OR (AOR): 0.92, 95% CI: 0.84 to 1.02) and severe stunting (AOR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.77 to 0.98), independent of all covariates. We also found substantially lower odds of severe stunting in groups with parental concordance in a woman-friendly outlook, whether non-affluent (AOR: 0.80, 95% CI: 0.67 to 0.94) or affluent (AOR: 0.50, 95% CI: 0.38 to 0.67).ConclusionWe argue that while women's autonomy could reduce the risk of child undernutrition, focusing on men's attitudes towards gender equity also holds promise for reducing undernutrition. Our findings not only underscore how patriarchy is embodied in undernourished children, but also suggest programmatic interventions to address this deep-rooted scourge in India.
| S-EPMC8344308 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveTo understand Australian women's knowledge, attitudes and behaviours surrounding preconception and pregnancy health and their preferences for information about these periods.DesignCross-sectional survey.SettingMaking healthy changes can optimise preconception and pregnancy outcomes. Clinical practice guidelines inform preconception and pregnancy care in Australia. Women often have access to multiple sources of information on reproductive and pregnancy health.ParticipantsWomen of reproductive age were asked to complete a web-based survey. The survey development was informed by preconception guidelines, consensus statements and the national pregnancy care guidelines. The survey was distributed through social media, local and national networks from 2017 to 2018.ResultsCompleted surveys were received from 553 women.The majority (80.4%) had high educational attainment. Checking immunisation status and ensuring good mental health were rated as equally important actions both preconception (65%) and during pregnancy (78%). Limiting sedentary activities was not rated as an important action to take either preconception (36%), or during pregnancy (38%). Although women have good knowledge about the impact of weight on their own health outcomes (eg, gestational diabetes), there was less knowledge about adverse outcomes for babies like stillbirth and preterm birth. Women access many sources for reproductive health information, however, the most trusted source was from healthcare professionals.ConclusionMost women of reproductive age in Australia have knowledge of the key health recommendations for preconception and pregnancy. However, there are gaps related to lifestyle behaviours particularly connected to weight gain and outcomes for babies. There is a strong preference to receive trusted information from healthcare providers through multiple resources.
| S-EPMC9815007 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundPrevious literature suggests that men reporting more gender-equitable attitudes are more likely to use condoms, but there is a paucity of data evaluating whether these attitudes are associated with contraceptive communication and use. The objective of this study is to test the hypothesis that men reporting more gender-equitable attitudes will be more likely to (a) engage in contraceptive communication with their wives and (b) that they and/or their wives will be more likely to use all forms of family planning, compared to men with less equitable attitudes.MethodsUsing cross-sectional dyadic survey data from young married couples from rural Maharashtra, India (N = 989), we assessed the associations between men's gender role attitudes and a) spousal contraceptive communication and b) contraceptive use by type (none, traditional, condoms, pills, or IUD). The contraceptive use outcome is based on wives' report. We assessed these associations via bivariate t-test (communication outcome) or ANOVA test (contraceptive type outcome), as well as unadjusted and adjusted logistic (communication outcome) and multinomial logistic (contraceptive type outcome) regression models. Adjusted models included sociodemographic factors selected a priori based on established associations with gender-equitable attitudes and/or our assessed outcomes.FindingsMen with more gender-equitable attitudes were more likely to discuss family planning with their wives (AOR = 1·05, 95%CI 1·03-1·07, p < 0·001) and to use condoms (ARRR = 1·03, 95%CI 1·00-1·06, p = 0·07). There was no association between gender-equitable attitudes and use of other types of contraception.InterpretationWhile gender-equitable attitudes among men may facilitate condom use and family planning communication in marriage, they do not appear to be linked with greater likelihood of use of more effective types of contraceptive use. This suggests that males supportive of gender equity may take greater responsibility for family planning vis a vis a less effective contraceptive, condoms, in the absence of more effective short-acting contraceptives for men.FundingThe National Institutes of Health [Grant number 5R01HD084453-01A1] and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, WA [grant number INV-002967].
| S-EPMC10953923 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundAdolescent pregnancy is an important public health problem and a socio-economic challenge in diverse societies. As a tremendously important problem, this issue has caused major concerns, as it exposes adolescent girls to social isolation and physical and psychological harm. So, this study aimed to determine the knowledge and attitude of adolescent girls and their mothers about early pregnancy, its causes, consequences, and predictors in Tabriz-Iran in 2020-21.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was done with 540 people (270 adolescent girls and 270 mothers) in the health centers of Tabriz. Data were collected using the questionnaires of sociodemographic information, knowledge, and adolescent girls' attitudes and their mothers about early pregnancy, its causes, and consequences. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the predictors of adolescent girls and their mothers' attitudes toward early pregnancy.ResultsThe mean (SD: Standard Deviation) of knowledge of adolescent girls and their mothers about early pregnancy was 5.17 (3.11) and 5.57 (3.01), respectively (score range: 0 to 9). Most girls (94.1%) and mothers (87.1%) opposed pregnancy before 18. There was a statistically significant relationship between the knowledge and attitudes of girls (p < 0.001) and mothers (p < 0.001) about pregnancy at a young age. Adolescent girls and their mothers mentioned the lack of sufficient knowledge about sexual relations (57.4% of girls and 66.3% mothers agree) and the lack of knowledge about contraceptive methods (51.9% girl and 59.2% mother agree) important reasons for early pregnancy. Based on the multivariate logistic regression model and controlling for potentially confounding variables, girls whose parents were married under the age of 18 were about three times more likely to agree to early pregnancy than girls whose parents married over the age of 18 (OR = 3.10; 95% Cl: 0.90 to 10.69; p = 0.037). Also, mothers whose other children were married before 18 were almost five times more likely to agree to early pregnancy than women whose other children were not married before 18 (OR = 4.91; 95% Cl: 1.60 to 15.10; p = 0.045).ConclusionsThe current study results indicate that despite the negative attitude of adolescent girls and their mothers towards early pregnancy, they had a low level of knowledge about early pregnancy. Consequently, increasing the level of knowledge of girls and their families about the consequences of marriage and pregnancy at an early age and creating a culture to correct cultural and social misconceptions to prevent marriage and pregnancy of children can reduce the severity of this damage.
| S-EPMC8919530 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between diet quality, dieting, nutrition knowledge and attitudes in a group of Polish young adults. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2018 amongst 638 students of food and nutrition-related majors. Based on the frequency of consumption of 24 food groups, the "Pro-Healthy Diet Index" (pHDI) and "Non-Healthy Diet Index" (nHDI) were calculated. To assess the nutrition knowledge, the "GAROTA" test was used. The k-means clustering method was used to identify clusters-attitudes towards food and nutrition. The relationships between pHDI and nHDI indices, dieting, nutrition knowledge (NK), and attitudes towards food and nutrition were verified, using multiple linear regression analysis. The results confirmed some relationships between the variables. Higher nHDI characterized males (p < 0.0001) and people with more unfavorable attitudes towards food and nutrition (p < 0.0001), and those not using a diet (p < 0.0001). Higher nutrition knowledge (p < 0.0001) and higher BMI (p = 0.0370) were correlated with lower nHDI. Higher pHDI characterized people with more favorable attitudes (p < 0.0001) and those using a diet (p = 0.0002). Nutrition knowledge showed an adverse association with nHDI (r = -0.172, p < 0.05) and no association with pHDI. Thus, declarative nutrition knowledge does not seem to be a good indicator of healthy dietary behavior. Nutrition education programs that concentrate only on knowledge of facts, and neglect the development of favorable attitudes towards food and nutrition, may not be efficient enough to develop adequate dietary behavior of students.
| S-EPMC9180766 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectivesPregnancy is a vulnerable period for women's health, and health practices play an essential role in this period. This study aimed to determine the relationship between health practices with attitudes toward pregnancy and motherhood and pregnancy symptoms.DesignIt was a cross-sectional study using cluster sampling conducted on 351 pregnant women in 2021-2022. Data were collected using questionnaires of socio-demographic characteristics, health practices in pregnancy (Health Practices Questionnaire-II), attitude towards motherhood and pregnancy (Prenatal Attitudes Towards motherhood and Pregnancy) and pregnancy symptoms (Pregnancy Symptoms Inventory). The general linear model (GLM), with the adjustment of socio-demographic characteristics, was used to determine the relationship of the health practices with attitudes towards motherhood and pregnancy and pregnancy symptoms.SettingHealth centres in Tabriz city, Iran.ParticipantsWomen were eligible if living in the Tabriz city, Iran, were pregnant and had a personal health record at the health centre.ResultsThe mean (SD) of the total health practices score was 117.9 (20.5) out of 34-170. The mean (SD) of the attitudes towards motherhood and pregnancy was 33.4 (4.5) out of 11-44. The mean (SD) of the pregnancy symptoms was 28.0 (12.1) out of 0-123. According to the Pearson correlation test, there was a significant direct correlation between health practices with attitudes towards motherhood and pregnancy (r=0.39; p<0.001) and a significant inverse correlation with pregnancy symptoms (r=-0.29; p<0.001). Based on the GLM with an increase in the score of health practices, the mean score of the attitude towards motherhood and pregnancy increased (B=0.07; 95% CI: 0.05 to 0.1), and the mean score of pregnancy symptoms decreased (B=-0.1; 95% CI: -0.2 to -0.05).ConclusionConsidering the relationship between health practices with the attitude towards motherhood and pregnancy symptoms, healthcare providers better use educational and counselling strategies to promote health practices in pregnant women.
| S-EPMC10533709 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The aims of this study were to assess the levels of knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of women about the main maternal risk factors in pregnancy and to identify the factors linked to the main outcomes of interest.A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 513 pregnant women randomly selected from the gynecological ambulatory services of five hospitals located in Naples, Italy.Only 42% of women correctly knew all the main maternal risk factors in pregnancy (alcohol, smoking, passive smoking and obesity). Only 21.7% of women were very worried about causing harm to the fetus or child with their risk behaviors, and 22.3% of women reported smoking during pregnancy. Approximately one-third of women (28.9%) reported regularly drinking alcohol before pregnancy and 74.8% of these women reported stopping drinking alcohol during pregnancy. However, only 27.3% of women who were drinking alcohol during pregnancy had the intention of stopping. Only 43.7% of women indicated that during ambulatory gynecological examinations they received information from physicians about the possible damage resulting from all the main risk factors in pregnancy (alcohol, smoking, passive smoking and obesity).The results indicate that pregnant women lack knowledge regarding the main maternal risk factors. Pregnant women claim to receive little information during gynecological examinations and, therefore, some continue to smoke and drink alcohol during pregnancy. Our results suggest an urgent need for the design of interventions to improve women's levels of knowledge and to promote appropriate behavior in relation to the major risk factors in pregnancy.
| S-EPMC4694714 | biostudies-other
Project description:To assess the correlates for bisexual behaviors, HIV knowledge, and HIV/AIDS-related stigmatizing/discriminatory attitudes among men who have sex with men (MSM).A cross-sectional survey among MSM was conducted in 2011 to provide demographics, sexual behaviors, HIV knowledge, HIV/AIDS-related stigmatizing/discriminatory attitudes, and services in Jinan, Qingdao, and Yantai of Shandong Province of China.Of 1230 participants, 82.8% were single, 85.7% aged <35 years, and 47.2% received college or higher education. There were 28.6% MSM who reported to be married or cohabitating or ever had sex with woman in the past 6 months (P6M). 74.5% had ≥6 HIV-related knowledge score. The average total score of stigmatizing/discriminatory attitude was 37.4±4.4(standard deviation). Bisexual behavior was independently associated with higher levels of HIV/AIDS-related stigma/discrimination(AOR = 1.1, 95% CI:1.0-1.1), older age(AOR = 1.2, 95%CI:1.1-1.2), and lower HIV-related knowledge score(AOR = 1.6, 95%CI:1.2-2.2). HIV knowledge score ≥6 was independently associated with lower levels of HIV/AIDS-related stigma/discrimination(AOR = 1.3, 95%CI:1.2-1.3), less bisexual behaviors(AOR = 0.6, 95%CI:0.5-0.9), ever received a test for HIV in the past 12 months (P12M)(AOR = 3.2, 95%CI:2.3-4.5), college or higher level education(AOR = 1.9, 95%CI:1.4-2.6), consistent condom use with men in P6M(AOR=6.9, 95%CI:4.6-10.6), recruited from internet or HIV testing sites(AOR = 11.2, 95%CI:8.0-16.1) and bars, night clubs, or tea houses(AOR = 2.5, 95%CI:1.7-4.8). Expressing higher levels of HIV/AIDS-related stigmatizing/discriminatory attitudes was independently associated with bisexual behaviors(Aβ = 0.9, 95%CI:0.4-1.4), lower HIV-related knowledge score(Aβ = 3.6, 95%CI:3.0-4.1), the number of male sex partners in the past week ≥2(Aβ = 1.4, 95%CI:1.0-1.9), unprotected male anal sex in P6M(Aβ = 1.0, 95%CI:0.5-1.6), and inversely associated with ever received HIV test(Aβ = 1.4, 95%CI:0.8-2.0) and peer education in P12M(Aβ = 1.4, 95%CI:0.9-1.9).HIV/AIDS-related stigmatizing/discriminatory attitudes were associated with bisexual behaviors, low HIV testing rate, lower HIV-related knowledge and risk behaviors. This study called for innovative programs that would reduce HIV/AIDS-related stigmatizing/discriminatory attitudes and bisexual behaviors and improve the uptake of prevention service among MSM.
| S-EPMC4485898 | biostudies-other
Project description:BackgroundThe first COVID-19 case in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was reported on 10 March 2020 in Kinshasa, prompting the government to promote internationally agreed non-pharmacological interventions for infection prevention and control. Public compliance to these measures is critical and depends on the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of communities regarding COVID-19, for which there was no data. This study aimed to bridge that gap.MethodsA community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Kinshasa in June 2020, during the emergency state, following a four-stage sampling process. Master's students from the Kinshasa School of Public Health conducted the survey. Descriptive and regression analyses were performed.ResultsThe study enrolled 726 women and 600 men (mean age: 43; SD 16-85). Nearly everyone heard about COVID-19 (mainly through television, radio, and street reports), but only 17% were highly knowledgeable about its transmission modes, signs and symptoms, and preventive measures. More than 80% of participants believed in the disease's seriousness; however, only 21% found the total lockdown acceptable. Nonetheless, 86% reported regular hand cleaning and mask-wearing followed by physical distancing (72%). Poorer, younger, and non-Catholic participants were overall markedly less knowledgeable and had comparatively lower levels of health-protective attitudes, acceptance, and practices. The education level and household size did not matter. Female participants tended to show fewer enabling attitudes and practices toward COVID-19 prevention measures compared to men.ConclusionAdequate public health information to improve the population's KAP related to COVID-19 is critical and must be designed with and delivered to the community-considering the specific needs of diverse sub-groups and contexts. Studies in Kinshasa and similar settings are necessary to understand the barriers to and enablers of acquiring, applying, and maintaining the optimal population's KAP for COVID-19 prevention and control.
| S-EPMC9212135 | biostudies-literature