Male Involvement In Family Planning Research Articles

Male involvement in family planning in rural Vietnam: an application of the Transtheoretical Model.

Various studies have shown that family planning adoption is likely to be more effective for women when men are actively involved. Male involvement in family planning is an instance of behavior change. The Transtheoretical Model of behavior change was used to examine men's involvement in general contraception and intrauterine device (IUD) use by their wives. The study tested whether the constructs of the model, decisional balance and self-efficacy, are sensitive to differences in stages of change. Reliable scales to test decisional balance and self-efficacy were developed. The study was carried out in rural Vietnam with 201 eligible participants. The staging algorithm identified that 25.8% of men were in the precontemplation stage, 10.5% of men were in the contemplation/preparation stages and 63.7% of men were in the action/maintenance stages. Disadvantages of IUD use for men in precontemplation were significantly higher than those in the action/maintenance stages, while the reverse was true for self-efficacy for convincing their wives to use an IUD. Interventions that are targeted to stage of change, that seek to reduce cons and that increase self-efficacy have the potential to influence male involvement in IUD adoption by their wives.

Male Involvement in Family Planning: A Case Study Spanning Five Generations of a South Indian Family

Family planning program planners often view men as gatekeepers who, if involved in reproductive decisionmaking, will thwart women's efforts to regulate fertility. This study examines fertility decisions made by five generations of one South Indian family and the factors affecting its sudden observed fertility decline. Male involvement in family planning and use of male methods are associated with the fertility decline and resulted in long-term benefits for women. Traditional notions about gender roles and family, in addition to economic concerns, shaped fertility decisionmaking. Individual motivation rather than choice of methods was more important for positive male participation in family planning.

A Comparison of the Performance of Male and Female CBD Distributors in Peru

This report presents the results of an operations research project to increase male involvement in family planning in Peru. Two community-based distribution (CBD) programs, PROFAMILIA of Lima and CENPROF of Trujillo, Peru, recruited male contraceptive distributors and compared their performance to that of female distributors recruited at the same time. Both programs found it harder to recruit men than women as distributors. Program supervisors, who were women, were less comfortable with men than with other women, even though there were no differences in distributor compliance with program norms. Male distributors were more likely to serve male clients and sell male methods (condoms), while female distributors were more likely to serve female clients and sell female methods (pills). Men sold as much or more total couple-years of protection than did women, and they recruited as many or more new acceptors. Gender was found to exert an impact on method mix independent of other distributor characteristics, such as age, education, marital status, and number of living children. The study suggests that family planning programs can influence method mix and client characteristics by recruiting men as CBD distributors.

Family Planning Information, Education and Communication: Current Activities in the People's Republic of China

Based on observation of family planning activities in China in 1989 and 1990, this article takes a close look at education and publicity to promote family planning. Today these activities rely heavily on modern communication technology, especially TV and video, and continue to reflect an urban bias in content. The absence of male involvement in family planning was also noted. Family planning education has been strengthened in certain areas with the "five phases" approach and with the organization of "key households." The Family Planning Association with is 200,000 grassroots associations throughout the country and its 17,000,000 members has greatly increased the manpower pool for the delivery of educational services. It has also been instrumental in developing insurance schemes for one child families, and in some areas the primary function of Association members is surveillance aimed at detecting unplanned pregnancies. There is a need for improved training in the development of educational materials for family planning and in the provision of contraceptive services in rural areas.