Predictors of male knowledge and participation in maternal health care in urban Kano, northern Nigeria

Investigating the pivotal role of men in maternity care in the highly populous state of Kano, northern Nigeria, is crucial to improving maternal health outcomes, as they are powerful decision- makers. This study assessed the level and predictors of knowledge and participation of men in maternal health care. A structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was administered on a cross-section of 399 ever-married men. Predictors of male knowledge and participation in maternal health were determined using logistic regression analysis. Very few of the men (9.5%) had adequate aggregate knowledge, while many (72.2%) had good participation in maternal health care. Men with tertiary education were less likely to have poor knowledge (aOR) = 0.28, 95% CI [0.09- 0.89], and men whose highest educational qualification was at primary, secondary, and tertiary level were 61%, 54%, and 78% less likely to have poor participation in their wives’ utilization of maternal health services respectively. At the same time, men with lower incomes had increased odds of poor participation in their wives’ utilization of maternal health services. Men are largely ignorant of maternal health care services in Northern Nigeria, especially among the less well-educated. Maternal health programmers should increasingly educate and involve men as partners in reducing the disproportionately high maternal mortality in the region.