Abstract
BackgroundMen’s involvement in maternal and child health presents an opportunity for the advancement of maternal and child nutrition as men often play a key role in decision-making particularly regarding women’s reproductive health. While most research on men’s involvement in maternal and child health has focused on men’s participation in antenatal care, this study focuses specifically on men’s involvement in maternal and child nutrition. The purpose of the study is to explore how men’s involvement is conceptualised in rural Central Malawi, highlighting the key factors influencing men’s involvement in maternal and child health.MethodsFocus group discussions and in-depth interviews were conducted with 26 informants and 44 community members. Critical policy was used as the theoretical framework to inform the analysis of research findings.ResultsIn this study, we identified several factors that facilitate men’s involvement in maternal and child health, but we also identified several barriers. Facilitators of men’s involvement included: recognition by men of the impact of their involvement, pride, advocacy, incentives and disincentives and male champions. Barriers included socio-cultural beliefs, stigmatisation and opportunity costs. The study also found that there were several limitations that had unintended consequences on desired programme outcomes. These included: discriminating against women, marginalisation of married women and reinforcing men’s decision-making roles.ConclusionThe study findings highlight the importance of involving men in maternal and child health for improved nutrition outcomes. We emphasise the need for nutrition policy-makers to be aware that gender dynamics are changing. It is no longer just women who are involved in nutrition activities, therefore policy-makers need to revise their approach to ensure that they consider men’s role in nutrition.
Highlights
Men’s involvement in maternal and child health presents an opportunity for the advancement of maternal and child nutrition as men often play a key role in decision-making regarding women’s reproductive health
In the case of nutrition policy, emphasis is placed on women, and men continue to be excluded owing to socio-cultural determinants dictating that pregnancy, child care and nutrition are the realm of women [9, 10]
Study design This study was executed as part of the Feed the Future Food Security Policy Innovation Lab [31] to understand the implications of men’s involvement in maternal and child health on the integration of gender in nutrition policy and explored the opportunities that exist for nutrition policy-makers within the context of men’s involvement in maternal and child health
Summary
Men’s involvement in maternal and child health presents an opportunity for the advancement of maternal and child nutrition as men often play a key role in decision-making regarding women’s reproductive health. Drawing from evidence indicating that empowering women can lead to improved child nutrition outcomes and in recognising the importance of addressing gender inequality, nutrition policy-makers. International agreements such as the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action [6] and the Rome. A study by Singh et al [11] found that when men are involved in maternal and child health, one of the roles they identify with is ensuring that their partners are eating properly In this current study, we analyse how gender normative assumptions, such as nutrition being women’s responsibility, have shaped policies and how these assumptions have been deconstructed by the emergence of the men’s involvement agenda. We highlight the implications of including men when integrating gender into nutrition policy
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