Factors influencing male partner antenatal care and childbirth attendance in Kenya: an analysis of the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey

Background: Male involvement in antenatal care (ANC) and childbirth is vital for early decision making and provision of timely financial, social, economic and psychological support, which reduce delays that cause maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to assess factors influencing male partners’ attendance of both ANC and childbirth in Kenya. Methods: Secondary data for 2881 participants from the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey were used. Data were analysed using univariable and multivariable logistic regression in SPSS version 29. Results: About 59.8% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 56.7–62.8) of participating men attended both ANC and childbirth with their pregnant partner. Men whose wives/partners were involved in decisions about financial earnings were 3.25 (95%CI: 1.26–8.34) times more likely to attend both ANC and childbirth compared with those who made decisions alone. Men who had ever tested for HIV were 1.94 (95%CI: 1.20–3.16) times more likely to attend both ANC and childbirth compared with those who had not tested. Men who had access to newspapers were 1.79 (95%CI: 1.28–2.50) times more likely to attend both ANC and childbirth compared with those without access. Compared with men from the poorest quintile, those from the poorer, middle, richer and richest quintiles were 1.91 (95%CI: 1.24–2.93), 2.14 (95%CI: 1.35–3.39), 1.80 (95%CI: 1.08–3.02) and 2.20 (95%CI: 1.08–4.48) times more likely to attend both ANC and childbirth, respectively. Finally, men from the Luo tribe were 0.29 (95%CI: 0.10–0.86) times less likely to attend both ANC and childbirth than men from the Kikuyu tribe. Conclusion : More than half of men in Kenya attend both ANC and childbirth, which is consistent with World Health Organization guidelines that encourage male ANC and childbirth attendance. We found that individual and community factors influenced male ANC and childbirth attendance. Strategies such as making ANC and childbirth services affordable, available and accessible to poor families should be enhanced. Efforts to promote self-awareness of HIV status should be made by the Kenya Ministry of Health. There is also a need to publish pregnancy-related information in newspapers and other media in local languages men understand. Furthermore, it is necessary to change men’s cultural narratives about maternal and child health to encourage their involvement in ANC and childbirth through cultural leaders and community outreach/dialogue. Finally, men/family heads and cultural leaders need to be engaged about encouraging women’s involvement in financial decision making to support men’s ANC and childbirth attendance.