Husbands involvement in contraceptive decision-making in a northern Nigerian city

Male partners predominantly make reproductive health decisions in northern Nigeria. There is a need to investigate the extent of husbands' involvement in contraceptive decision-making in this geographical setting and understand the factors that influence their participation.

We collected quantitative data from a cross-section of 154 married men residing within Kano Metropolis using an adapted interviewer-administered questionnaire. We evaluated male involvement in contraceptive decision-making using five domains. Multivariable binary logistic regression modeling was employed to identify sociodemographic variables independently associated with the husband's involvement.

Over half of the husbands (57.5%) were found to be actively involved in contraceptive decision-making. The most common activities performed by the husbands were discussing the use of contraceptives with their partners and providing financial support to access contraceptive services. Participants with tertiary education (OR: 2.4, 95% CI: 1.4-4.8, 0.01), civil servants (OR: 3.2, 95% CI: 1.6-7.2, < 0.001) and those with good knowledge of contraception (OR: 6.0, 95% CI: 4.1-18.9, < 0.001) demonstrated a higher likelihood of involvement. Additionally, the number of children was inversely related to involvement, with participants with five or more children being less likely to participate in contraceptive decision-making (OR: 0.2, 95% CI: 0.4-0.6, < 0.001) compared to those with fewer children.

The study demonstrated that despite good knowledge of contraception among respondents, direct involvement in contraceptive practices remained relatively inadequate. It provides valuable insights by identifying key factors that influence involvement, offering relevant information for policymakers and health programs.