Urban-rural differences in health service-related factors associated with male involvement in family planning services in Abia State, Southeastern Nigeria.

ABSTRACT

Objective: To identify and compare the health service-related factors associated with male involvement in family planning services among the rural and urban areas in Abia State, Nigeria. Design: A community-based cross-sectional study. Setting: Twelve communities (six urban and six rural) in Abia State, Nigeria. Participants: Five hundred and eighty-eight (588) men aged 15-59 years and resident in the study area 6 months before the study were recruited. Main outcome measure: Male involvement in family planning services. Results: The mean ages of the respondents were 41.8±8.0 years and 43.1±8.0 years in the urban and rural areas, respectively. Active male involvement in family planning services was significantly higher in urban areas (62.6%, 95%CI 56.8%-68.1%) compared to the rural areas (47.6%, 95%CI 41.5%-53.2%. p<0.001). The predictors of male involvement included gender preference of healthcare workers (aOR=1.75, 95%CI1.01-3.03) and attitude of the healthcare workers (aOR=2.07, 95%CI1.17-3.67) among the urban participants, compared to occupational status of the respondents (aOR=2.50, 95% CI 1.16-5.56) and the availability of male-friendly clinics (aOR=2.27, 95%CI1.25-4.15) among the rural participants. Conclusion: Health service-related factors associated with male involvement varied between the urban and rural settings. Stakeholders should target addressing health service-related factors by types of settlement while designing family planning programs targeting men. Funding: No funding was obtained for this study.