Abstract:
Objective To determine the involvement of males in
antenatal care (ANC) follow-up
and its determinants in
Ethiopia.
Design A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Data sources A systematic search was done on PubMed,
African Journals Online, HINARI, ScienceDirect, Google
Scholar and direct Google up to 20 November 2023.
Eligibility criteria We included cross-sectional
or case–
control studies reporting male involvement in ANC service
and its determinants in Ethiopia, which were published as
full-length
articles in English.
Data extraction and synthesis The Joanna Briggs
Institute checklist was used to appraise the included
studies, and the I2 test was used to evaluate heterogeneity
among the studies. We assessed publication bias using a
funnel plot and Begg’s test. The forest plot presented the
combined proportion of male involvement and OR, along
with a 95% CI.
Results The pooled proportion of male involvement in
ANC follow-up
in Ethiopia was 43.3% (95% CI 31.7% to
54.8%). Male partners with secondary education or higher
(Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) 2.72, 95% CI 1.81 to 4.10),
government employment (AOR 2.09, 95% CI 1.49 to 2.94),
attendance at health education (AOR 3.02, 95% CI 1.39
to 6.54) and knowledge about ANC or pregnancy danger
signs (AOR 2.36, 95% CI 1.33 to 4.19) demonstrated a
significant association with increased male involvement.
Conclusion Male involvement in ANC in Ethiopia is low.
Recommendations include targeted education for males
with no formal schooling, improved health education on
ANC and pregnancy risks, and interventions for males in
the private sector.
PROSPERO registration number CRD42021258826
