Perceptions and Experiences of Young Pregnant Women Aged 15-19 years on Low Male Involvement at Antenatal Care Clinics and PMTCT Services in Mwense District, Luapula, Zambia

Background: Male involvement in antenatal care clinic is defined as the male partners’ active engagement in the antenatal care services. Men work as doorkeepers to women’s admittance to reproductive health services and male involvement in antenatal care and HIV testing assist to reduce infant HIV infection and escalations HIV free survival in children. Nonetheless, male participation has been low in Zambia, particularly amid partners of young pregnant women. The study aimed to investigate the perceptions and experiences of young pregnant women on male involvement at antenatal care and to assess their acceptability of male involvement at antenatal care.

Methods: The study was conducted in Mwense District of Luapula province. Phenomenological design and purposive sampling were used. Three focus group discussions and thirty in-depth interviews were conducted. Thematic analysis was used. Analysis of data was done manually. Some themes were deductively coded from the interview guides, conceptual framework and objectives of the study while some were processed inductively from the data transcriptions. Triangulation helped to check for consistency and potential variations of findings.

Results: Generally, young pregnant women perceived male involvement at antenatal care clinics as a good service. Male participation among young pregnant women was highly acceptable but with low utilization. It was perceived to help couples prepare for delivery, increase love and care, and learn more about HIV. Male participation was considered helpful for a healthy pregnancy and safe delivery. The participants felt the need for programme continuity. Male participation helps to handle some of the home challenges that come when the female attend antenatal care alone. Providing targeted male antenatal care information meetings may also increase male partner participation. The young women’s experiences were mixed, ranging from a better and quick service if accompanied, to being scolded and delay in being attended to if they not escorted by a partner.

Conclusion: Male participation left young pregnant women with both negative and positive experiences. The negative experiences led them to bad perceptions while positive experiences helped the young women appreciate the programme as working to their benefit hence the desire to have it continue. Community-based packages that would encourage male participation and minimise related stigma need to be commenced. Male-friendly antenatal care services should be established. Male targeted programmes that inspire men to attend antenatal care clinics should be considered. Future studies on views of men with young pregnant partners and their perception on male involvement are recommended. This would aid formulating targeted interventions.

Author(s): Wilson Kapenda Mwape, Selestine H Nzala, Thierry Malebe and Mpundu Makasa

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