Introduction: Male involvement in maternal health has been promoted as a promising new strategy for improving maternal health. It is important to promote husband participation in the process of antenatal care (ANC), preparations for the delivery and also in postnatal care. The objective of this study is to investigate and assess the level of involvement in maternal health by male counter-part in the family in Muar district.
Methods: A descriptive analysis and community-based cross-sectional study were employed among household targeting married men who had at least one child in Muar district which including eleven towns. The data were collected by giving the questionnaire to the community to explore feelings, understandings, and perceptions of male involvement.
Result: A total of 150 men participated in the survey. The study revealed that about 94% husbands accompanied their spouse to ANC during the most recent pregnancy, 97.3% husbands were provided financial support for ANC and 88.7% of the respondents accompanied their spouse to the place where she gave birth. In addition, 91.3% respondents were involved in decision making of birthplace, 57.3% husbands accompanied their wife into the labour room and 89.3% of the men accompanied their spouse to postnatal care (PNC) during the most recent pregnancy.
Conclusion: Husbands in Muar district have an overall of good involvement in maternal health care. Other than that, their overall knowledge of birth preparedness is good. Majority of the husbands agree that men are supposed to be involved in maternal health services. Recommendation: Effective awareness campaigns which are promoting male involvement should be organized so that they are aware of their roles and how important are them to get involved in maternal health.
