Abstract

Male involvement in antenatal care as one of the major aspects of maternal health care is an important strategy in
reducing preventable maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Due to the low male involvement in antenatal
care among other factors, the country continues to have one of the highest MMR at 137 per 1,000 live births.
Antenatal care visits are an ideal time to advise mothers with their partners and families on essential pregnancy care
to reduce stillbirths and neonatal deaths and develop a birth preparedness plan. The researcher employed a
quantitative cross-sectional study design and the study population involved all married men or men who had ever
had spouses in Ishaka municipality, Bushenyi district. A simple sampling technique was used. Data was collected
using interview-guided questionnaires formulated in English and subsequently analyzed using SPSS 16.0. Data was
then presented in the form of tables, pie charts, and graphs. One hundred and twenty males in Ishaka municipality
participated in the study. The average age of the participants was 38.0 (SD ± 1.41) and the age range was 17- 75
years. The majority of respondents 46(38.3%) were between the age of 35 and 44 years, 81 (67.5%) Banyankole. The
majority of respondents 64(53%) have low levels of knowledge of male involvement in antenatal care. Commonly
agreed barriers to male involvement included too much waiting time at the ANC, nature of spouses’ occupation, fear
of positive HIV results, and long distance to ANC clinic,91(5%),80(66.7%), 68(56.7%), (51.7%) respectively. An
enormous number of 85(70.8%) respondents agree that the creation of awareness among men through traditional
authorities can promote male involvement in antenatal care. This study concluded that factors influencing male
involvement in antenatal care included family Monthly income, distance from health, Alcoholism unit, and level of
knowledge of respondents. The majority of respondents had low levels of knowledge of male involvement in
antenatal care.Time wasting during antenatal visits was the commonest agreed barrier to male involvement during
antenatal visits. The study recommended the need to increase men’s knowledge of male involvement in ANC
through a massive campaign in Ishaka municipality