Abstract

In Africa, Uganda in particular, the decision depends mainly on man. If we have to improve
contraceptive prevalence rates, we need to look into obstacles to male participation in Family
Planning. Available data in Uganda indicates that most males have a positive attitude towards
family planning but obstacles to their participation have not been established fully. This study
determined factors influencing men’s participation in family planning in Jinja Regional Referral
Hospital. The study was a cross-sectional descriptive study carried out among adult men
seeking health care services in Jinja regional referral hospital. This study involved the use of
structured questions to collect both quantitative and qualitative data from the respondents.
Data was coded and entered into a database created using Microsoft Excel, then cleaned and
edited. Data set was then imported into STATA 14.2 for analysis. Bivariate and Multivariate
logistic regression was done to ascertain the relationship between dependent and independent
variables. Descriptive statistics was presented inform of frequency tables, pie charts and
graphs. Out of the 353 participants, majority (41.1%) were aged 30-39years, attained secondary
education (48.4%) and were married (51.3%). 31 of the respondents were using contraceptives
giving a prevalence of 8.8%. Only 7(2.0%) of the participants in the study would opt for
permanent sterilization. At multivariate analysis, age, level of education, residence, number of
children, income level, wanting more children and involvement in contraceptive choice were
significantly associated with contraceptive use among males. Uptake of contraceptives among
males is very low. Predictors of contraceptive use among males include; age, level of education,
residence, number of children, income level, wanting more children and involvement in
contraceptive choice