(Mis)measuring Men’s Involvement in Global Health: The Case of Expectant Fathers in Dakar, Senegal

Background In 2018, USAID published a report based on Demographic and Health Surveys data on the relationship between men’s involvement and women and children’s health outcomes. Based on the data collected, USAID’s analysis implies that Senegalese men are not involved in women and children’s health. Methods Twenty-two months of ethnographic research from 2012 to 2018. Research participants included 32 pregnant women and 27 expectant partners recruited from three maternity wards by convenience sampling, plus chief physicians, nurses, midwives, employees of the Ministry of Health and Social Action, and employees of nongovernmental organizations in the health sector. Research methods included participant observation, semi-structured interviews, free-list and pile sort exercises, and various visual ethnographic methods. Data were evaluated using rhetorical, textual, and cultural domain analysis. Results This research demonstrates that expectant fathers are involved in prenatal care in ways that USAID does not track through DHS. Conclusion Context independent reporting on men’s involvement is potentially harmful and obstructive to improving maternal and child health when the problem that is targeted is not a problem at all. State and non-state organizations investing in men’s involvement campaigns would save money and resources by amplifying men’s strengths (an asset-based model) rather than seek to educate them toward Eurocentric conceptions of fatherhood and masculine care (a deficit-based model).

Perceptions, behaviours and attitudes towards smoking held by the male partners of Chinese pregnant women: a qualitative study

Background Direct associations of tobacco exposure during pregnancy with pregnancy complications and adverse birth outcomes have been proven. Previous studies suggest that expecting a child provides a valuable opportunity to promote behavioural changes, such as smoking cessation, among the male partners of pregnant women. Thorough understandings of Chinese expectant fathers’ smoking behaviour during the transition to fatherhood is a prerequisite to the development of appropriate interventions to facilitate smoking cessation. This study aimed to explore the perceptions, behaviours and attitudes related to smoking among male partners of pregnant women in China. Methods A descriptive phenomenological approach was adopted. A purposive sample of expectant fathers aged 18 years or older who had a tobacco use history within the past year were recruited at obstetrics and gynaecology clinics and invited to participate in one-to-one, 20–30-min semi-structured interviews. The data analysis followed Colaizzi’s descriptive phenomenological method. Results Twenty-five expectant fathers were interviewed. Four themes were generated: 1) the benefits of smoking and respondents’ misperceptions of the impact of smoking and SHS and neglectful attitude of the impact of smoking, which were given as the major reasons for continuing to smoke; 2) factors contributing to smoking cessation, including concern for the potential health impact of continued smoking on the pregnant partner and baby, the role of being father, and the encouragement to quit from family members; and 3) perceived barriers to smoking cessation, including withdrawal symptoms or cigarette cravings, absence of smoking cessation support, and increasing stress. Conclusion This study provides a comprehensive understanding of the perception, behaviours, and attitudes related to smoking among Chinese expectant fathers. The findings of this study can guide healthcare professionals and policymakers in combining the distribution of educational information about the hazards of SHS for maternal and neonatal health with smoking cessation assistance for expectant fathers through policy initiatives and other types of incentives and programmes targeted to enhance smoking cessation among this population. Trial registration Prospectively registered at clinicaltrial.org (NCT03401021) on 8 Jan 2018.