Can Male Involvement Improve Maternal Health?

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By: Olena Ivanova, International Centre for Reproductive Health, Belgium

Since the 1994 International Conference on Population Development in Cairo, the importance of male involvement in reproductive health programs, including maternal health, has come into focus. In their roles as fathers, partners or healthcare workers, men influence not only their own health but also women’s reproductive health. Men tend to be the decision-makers within families and often take the lead in issues regarding the allocation of money, transport, women’s workload and access to health services, family planning and use of contraceptives… read more

Male Involvement in Maternal Health: Helpful or Harmful?

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By: Suzanne Kiwanuka, Makerere University School of Public Health, Uganda

Over the last several years, research on male involvement in reproductive and maternal health care has shown incredible impacts on the health outcomes of women and newborns. In response to this overwhelming research, Uganda officially launched a male involvement strategy in November 2014. The main objective of this strategy is to include men in all aspects of a family’s health: nutrition, water and sanitation, family planning, immunizations, and the fight against malaria and HIV/AIDS. However, this and other male involvement strategies have had unexpected consequences on women’s access to care… read more