Abstract
BackgroundDefining male involvement during pregnancy is essential for the development of future research and appropriate interventions to optimize services aiming to improve birth outcomes. Study Aim: To define male involvement during pregnancy and obtain community-based recommendations for interventions to improve male involvement during pregnancy.MethodsWe conducted focus groups with mothers and fathers from the National Healthy Start Association program in order to obtain detailed descriptions of male involvement activities, benefits, barriers, and proposed solutions for increasing male involvement during pregnancy. The majority of participants were African American parents.ResultsThe involved “male” was identified as either the biological father, or, the current male partner of the pregnant woman. Both men and women described the ideal, involved father or male partner as present, accessible, available, understanding, willing to learn about the pregnancy process and eager to provide emotional, physical and financial support to the woman carrying the child. Women emphasized a sense of “togetherness” during the pregnancy. Suggestions included creating male-targeted prenatal programs, enhancing current interventions targeting females, and increasing healthcare providers’ awareness of the importance of men’s involvement during pregnancy.ConclusionsIndividual, family, community, societal and policy factors play a role in barring or diminishing the involvement of fathers during pregnancy. Future research and interventions should target these factors and their interaction in order to increase fathers’ involvement and thereby improve pregnancy outcomes.
Highlights
Defining male involvement during pregnancy is essential for the development of future research and appropriate interventions to optimize services aiming to improve birth outcomes
When these findings were stratified by race, several studies report that the risks of adverse birth outcomes and subsequent infant mortality were markedly higher for African-American mothers [1,2,4,7]
Though similar to paternal involvement during childhood, has a specific difference which we identify as the relationship between the father and the mother carrying the child
Summary
Defining male involvement during pregnancy is essential for the development of future research and appropriate interventions to optimize services aiming to improve birth outcomes. PI has been associated with infant mortality up to one year after birth [2] When these findings were stratified by race, several studies report that the risks of adverse birth outcomes and subsequent infant mortality were markedly higher for African-American mothers [1,2,4,7]. Whether measured through proxies such as paternal information on birth certificates, maternal report of paternal activities (support, presence at pregnancy-related health appointments), or marital/partnership status, findings point to the important contributions fathers can make to improving birth outcomes [1,2,3,4,6,7,8,9]. Researchers have proposed that the mechanisms through which PI affects birth outcomes are primarily linked to the impact fathers can have on influencing maternal behaviors and reducing maternal stress through emotional, logistical and financial support [6]. Other studies have suggested that support from fathers serves to alleviate the burden of stress [3] and improves maternal wellbeing, both pathways to improved birth outcomes [11,12]
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