Men's knowledge and awareness of maternal, neonatal and child health care in rural Bangladesh: a comparative cross sectional study

• Published in: Reproductive health 2012-09, Vol.9 (1), p.18-18, Article 18
• Main Authors: Nasreen, Hashima E, Leppard, Margaret, Al Mamun, Mahfuz, Billah, Masuma, Mistry, Sabuj Kanti, Rahman, Mosiur, Nicholls, Peter
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Analysis; Awareness - physiology; Bangladesh; Bangladesh - epidemiology; Care and treatment; Child Welfare; Child, Preschool; Children; Children & youth; Comparative analysis; Cross-Sectional Studies; Decision making; Essential newborn care; Family planning; Female; Health aspects; Health care; Health care reform; Health education; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Improving Maternal; Infant; Infant Care - methods; Infant, Newborn; Infants; Infants (Newborn); Knowledge; Male; Maternal Health Services; Men’s knowledge; Neonatal and Child Survival (IMNCS); Patient outcomes; Patients; Postpartum period; Pregnancy; Pregnant women; Reproductive health; Rural Population - statistics & numerical data; Sex Factors; Studies; Tetanus; Women; Womens health; Women’s reproductive health; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1742-4755; 1742-4755
• DOI: 10.1186/1742-4755-9-18

The status of men's knowledge of and awareness to maternal, neonatal and child health care are largely unknown in Bangladesh and the effect of community focused interventions in improving men's knowledge is largely unexplored. This study identifies the extent of men's knowledge and awareness on maternal, neonatal and child health issues between intervention and control groups. This cross sectional comparative study was carried out in six rural districts of Bangladesh in 2008. BRAC health programme operates 'improving maternal, neonatal and child survival' intervention in four of the above-mentioned six districts. The intervention comprises a number of components including improving awareness of family planning, identification of pregnancy, providing antenatal, delivery and postnatal care, newborn care, under-5 child healthcare, referral of complications and improving clinical management in health facilities. In addition, communities are empowered through social mobilization and advocacy on best practices in maternal, neonatal and child health. Three groups were identified: intervention (2 years exposure); transitional (6 months exposure) and control. Data were collected by interviewing 7,200 men using a structured questionnaire. Men prefer to gather in informal sites to interact socially. Overall men's knowledge on maternal care was higher in intervention than control groups, for example, advice on tetanus injection should be given during antenatal care (intervention = 50%, control = 7%). There were low levels of knowledge about birth preparedness (buying delivery kit = 18%, arranging emergency transport = 13%) and newborn care (wrapping = 25%, cord cutting with sterile blade = 36%, cord tying with sterile thread = 11%) in the intervention. Men reported joint decision-making for delivery care relatively frequently (intervention = 66%, control = 46%, p