Male involvement in family planning; an often neglected determinant of contraceptive prevalence in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

<p class="abstract">For more than two decades, there have been efforts to include men in family planning programmes. Male involvement was first echoed on a global scale at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) plan of action, Cairo 1994.<strong> </strong>This article is aimed at highlighting the importance of male involvement in increasing contraceptive prevalence in Sub-Saharan Africa.<strong> </strong>A literature search using Google, Google scholar, PubMed, Hinary, Medical textbooks and related journals. Relevant articles were extracted and used for this review.<strong> </strong>Majority of the literature assessed showed alienation of men in family planning and other reproductive health services despite the declaration made at the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, 1994. Findings also showed significant level of awareness of modern family planning methods amongst men but very low support for its use by themselves and/or their spouses or partners. Some of the reasons for such apathy include fears of side effects, non-availability, high cost and ignorance. The importance of involving men in family planning services cannot be over stressed. There are overwhelming evidence that with male support, there would be greater uptake and sustained use of family planning. This will lead to improved maternal and child health indices especially in our setting where the burden of the morbidity and mortality of maternal and child health is greatest.</p>