Abstract
Globally, male involvement in Maternal, Child and Reproductive Health Care is a concept envisaged to improve children's and women's wellbeing (Angusubalakshmi et al., 2023; Nambile Cumber et al., 2024). Men are encouraged to be involved in prenatal care through to Wellbaby Clinics (WBC), also called Child Welfare Clinics (CWC). Most African countries have aligned to this concept as a strategy (Lusambili et al., 2021) to help attain Sustainable Development Goal 3, Good Health and Wellbeing for All Ages by 2030 due to men’s role as providers and decision makers in family settings. In Ghana, some men are engaged in their children's promotive and preventive health services through advocacy and verbal encouragement. This qualitative study used Constructivist Grounded Theory to explore the enablers of men’s engagement at CWC, which is part of a bigger study that explored the process of involving men at CWC and conceptualised male involvement in the socio-cultural context of Ghana. Purposive sampling was employed to elicit responses from men accessing services at CWC. Data collection and analysis was an iterative process that commenced after ethical clearance was sought. Saturation determined a sample size of 12 men. The findings revealed two categories: intrinsic motivators, referring to men’s involvement due to their innate desires, and extrinsic motivators, focused on external factors which encouraged men’s involvement. The associated sub-categories are intrinsic: paternal bonding, seeking knowledge, and a sense of responsibility towards the child. Extrinsic motivators evolved around men’s past experiences, supporting spouses to reduce stress and preferential treatment provided at the clinic. Generally, men yearned to connect with their children during the early life stages to secure lifelong connections. They felt their participation was a shared responsibility that should be fulfilled towards the child. In the clinics, men appreciated the preferential treatment nurses provided through fast services for couples/men who attend CWC. In conclusion, men perceive themselves as supportive parents in the space of CWC with facilitators to effectively contribute to their child's wellbeing. Nurses and midwives must continue the advocacy for male involvement in child health and wellbeing, strengthen the facilitators and minimise the barriers to male involvement at CWC.
Notes
Reference list included in attached slide deck.
Sigma Membership
Chi Omicron
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Grounded Theory
Research Approach
Qualitative Research
Keywords:
Maternal Child Health Care, Male Participation, Perception, Ghana
Recommended Citation
Agyare, Veronica Adwoa; Ohene, Lillian Akorfa; Laari, Luke; and Aziato, Lydia, "Enablers Towards Men's Engagement at Child Welfare Clinics in Ghana" (2025). Biennial Convention (CONV). 103.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/convention/2025/presentations_2025/103
Conference Name
48th Biennial Convention
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2025-11-24
Funder(s)
Carnegie Corporation of New York
Enablers Towards Men's Engagement at Child Welfare Clinics in Ghana
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Globally, male involvement in Maternal, Child and Reproductive Health Care is a concept envisaged to improve children's and women's wellbeing (Angusubalakshmi et al., 2023; Nambile Cumber et al., 2024). Men are encouraged to be involved in prenatal care through to Wellbaby Clinics (WBC), also called Child Welfare Clinics (CWC). Most African countries have aligned to this concept as a strategy (Lusambili et al., 2021) to help attain Sustainable Development Goal 3, Good Health and Wellbeing for All Ages by 2030 due to men’s role as providers and decision makers in family settings. In Ghana, some men are engaged in their children's promotive and preventive health services through advocacy and verbal encouragement. This qualitative study used Constructivist Grounded Theory to explore the enablers of men’s engagement at CWC, which is part of a bigger study that explored the process of involving men at CWC and conceptualised male involvement in the socio-cultural context of Ghana. Purposive sampling was employed to elicit responses from men accessing services at CWC. Data collection and analysis was an iterative process that commenced after ethical clearance was sought. Saturation determined a sample size of 12 men. The findings revealed two categories: intrinsic motivators, referring to men’s involvement due to their innate desires, and extrinsic motivators, focused on external factors which encouraged men’s involvement. The associated sub-categories are intrinsic: paternal bonding, seeking knowledge, and a sense of responsibility towards the child. Extrinsic motivators evolved around men’s past experiences, supporting spouses to reduce stress and preferential treatment provided at the clinic. Generally, men yearned to connect with their children during the early life stages to secure lifelong connections. They felt their participation was a shared responsibility that should be fulfilled towards the child. In the clinics, men appreciated the preferential treatment nurses provided through fast services for couples/men who attend CWC. In conclusion, men perceive themselves as supportive parents in the space of CWC with facilitators to effectively contribute to their child's wellbeing. Nurses and midwives must continue the advocacy for male involvement in child health and wellbeing, strengthen the facilitators and minimise the barriers to male involvement at CWC.
Description
Globally, male involvement in Maternal and Child Health aims to enhance children’s and women’s wellbeing. Most African countries, promote this as a strategy to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3 by 2030. This study explores enablers of men’s engagement in Child Welfare Clinics in Ghana. Findings reveal that men are motivated by a desire for knowledge, paternal bonding, and their past experiences highlighting men's responsiveness and the need to encourage men in child health services.