Community health workers can improve male involvement in maternal health: evidence from rural Tanzania

Authors: Furaha August, Andrea B. Pembe, Rose Mpembeni, Pia Axemo, and Elisabeth Darj

Male involvement in maternal health is recommended as one of the interventions to improve maternal and newborn health. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Home Based Life Saving Skills training by CHWs on improving male involvement in maternal health in terms of knowledge of danger signs, joint decision-making, birth preparedness, and escorting wives to antenatal and delivery care in a rural community in Tanzania. A community-based intervention consisting of educating the community in Home Based Life Saving Skills by CHWs was implemented using one district as the intervention district and another as comparison district. The results show there was improvement in male involvement, as well as in the knowledge of danger signs during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum periods.