Men's involvement in family planning programs and associated factors from the perspective of women in Afghanistan; a case study

Abstract

Objectives: Family planning is a cornerstone to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals. However, men's involvement in family planning has been a challenge in many countries. This study aimed to investigate the participation of men in the family planning programs and related factors from the perspective of women referring to family planning organizations in Herat, Afghanistan 2021.

Methods: The study had a cross-sectional design. The participants of the study consisted of 544 married women aged 15-49 years selected by simple random sampling. The data collection tool was a valid and reliable questionnaire to assess the participation of men in family planning programs. To analyze the data, descriptive statistics and analytical methods including Mann-Whitney and Pearson Chi-Square tests were applied in SPSS 21. The answers to the open-end questions were analyzed, coded and classified in two main categories.

Results: The average age of study participants was 28(±10) years and a significant proportion of them were illiterate (48.5%). Most of the participants were housewives (83.6%) and their husbands were non-professional workers (39.9%). The husbands participated in family planning programs by choosing the type of contraception (29.2%), provision of contraceptives (29.6%) and supporting their wives using them (49.3%). There were statistically significant relationships between women's and their husband's education level, and husband's employment status with the type of participation in family planning. The main incentives for Afghan men to participate family planning were the increased attention of families to the education and needs of children and the health and welfare of the wives. However, cultural norms supporting larger families, the desire for having boy children, the fear of contraception's side effects and religious prohibitions discourage them in using family planning methods.

Conclusion: A large number of the respondents stated that their spouse participated in family planning programs. It shows the importance and success of family planning centers in promoting sexual and reproductive health and family planning. Study showed that various factors affected men's participation in family planning programs. Recognition of these factors can help policy makers in designing behavioral interventions based on social marketing, and enhancing the effectiveness of these programs.

Keywords: Afghanistan; Family planning; Right to health; Sexual and reproductive health.