Background: Male involvement in family planning (FP) is crucial for improving reproductive health outcomes, yet participation remains low in many Sub-Saharan African countries, including Rwanda. This study assessed the level of male involvement and identified health service-related barriers to FP service utilization among men in Musanze District, Northern Rwanda. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 397 married men aged 21 and above in Musanze District. Participants were selected using simple random sampling. Data were collected through pre-tested, interview-administered questionnaires. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify health service-related factors associated with male involvement in FP. Results: The overall level of male involvement in FP services was low, at 36.7%. After adjusting for other variables, distance to a health facility was significantly associated with involvement. Men living more than 5 km from an FP service delivery point had 93% lower odds of being highly involved in FP compared to those living within 5 km (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] = 0.071; 95% CI: 0.009-0.579). Conclusion: Male involvement in FP services in Musanze district is low, with geographic distance to facilities being a major health service barrier. Interventions to increase male participation should include strategies to improve physical access to FP services, such as community-based service delivery and mobile clinics.
| Published in | American Journal of Health Research (Volume 13, Issue 6) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.ajhr.20251306.12 |
| Page(s) | 301-307 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Male Involvement, Family Planning Services, Health Service Barriers, Musanze District, Rwanda
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APA Style
Ingabire, C., Dushimimana, E., Manirafasha, E. N., Ewing, H., Hakizimana, L., et al. (2025). Barriers to Male Involvement in Family Planning Services: Health Service Challenges in Musanze District, Northern Rwanda. American Journal of Health Research, 13(6), 301-307. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20251306.12
ACS Style
Ingabire, C.; Dushimimana, E.; Manirafasha, E. N.; Ewing, H.; Hakizimana, L., et al. Barriers to Male Involvement in Family Planning Services: Health Service Challenges in Musanze District, Northern Rwanda. Am. J. Health Res. 2025, 13(6), 301-307. doi: 10.11648/j.ajhr.20251306.12
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Download@article{10.11648/j.ajhr.20251306.12,
author = {Clementine Ingabire and Emmanuel Dushimimana and Emmanuel Ndahiro Manirafasha and Helen Ewing and Leonard Hakizimana and Samuel Niyitegeka and Marguerite Mukarugwiza},
title = {Barriers to Male Involvement in Family Planning Services: Health Service Challenges in Musanze District, Northern Rwanda
},
journal = {American Journal of Health Research},
volume = {13},
number = {6},
pages = {301-307},
doi = {10.11648/j.ajhr.20251306.12},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20251306.12},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajhr.20251306.12},
abstract = {Background: Male involvement in family planning (FP) is crucial for improving reproductive health outcomes, yet participation remains low in many Sub-Saharan African countries, including Rwanda. This study assessed the level of male involvement and identified health service-related barriers to FP service utilization among men in Musanze District, Northern Rwanda. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 397 married men aged 21 and above in Musanze District. Participants were selected using simple random sampling. Data were collected through pre-tested, interview-administered questionnaires. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify health service-related factors associated with male involvement in FP. Results: The overall level of male involvement in FP services was low, at 36.7%. After adjusting for other variables, distance to a health facility was significantly associated with involvement. Men living more than 5 km from an FP service delivery point had 93% lower odds of being highly involved in FP compared to those living within 5 km (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] = 0.071; 95% CI: 0.009-0.579). Conclusion: Male involvement in FP services in Musanze district is low, with geographic distance to facilities being a major health service barrier. Interventions to increase male participation should include strategies to improve physical access to FP services, such as community-based service delivery and mobile clinics.},
year = {2025}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Barriers to Male Involvement in Family Planning Services: Health Service Challenges in Musanze District, Northern Rwanda AU - Clementine Ingabire AU - Emmanuel Dushimimana AU - Emmanuel Ndahiro Manirafasha AU - Helen Ewing AU - Leonard Hakizimana AU - Samuel Niyitegeka AU - Marguerite Mukarugwiza Y1 - 2025/11/26 PY - 2025 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20251306.12 DO - 10.11648/j.ajhr.20251306.12 T2 - American Journal of Health Research JF - American Journal of Health Research JO - American Journal of Health Research SP - 301 EP - 307 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2330-8796 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20251306.12 AB - Background: Male involvement in family planning (FP) is crucial for improving reproductive health outcomes, yet participation remains low in many Sub-Saharan African countries, including Rwanda. This study assessed the level of male involvement and identified health service-related barriers to FP service utilization among men in Musanze District, Northern Rwanda. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 397 married men aged 21 and above in Musanze District. Participants were selected using simple random sampling. Data were collected through pre-tested, interview-administered questionnaires. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify health service-related factors associated with male involvement in FP. Results: The overall level of male involvement in FP services was low, at 36.7%. After adjusting for other variables, distance to a health facility was significantly associated with involvement. Men living more than 5 km from an FP service delivery point had 93% lower odds of being highly involved in FP compared to those living within 5 km (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] = 0.071; 95% CI: 0.009-0.579). Conclusion: Male involvement in FP services in Musanze district is low, with geographic distance to facilities being a major health service barrier. Interventions to increase male participation should include strategies to improve physical access to FP services, such as community-based service delivery and mobile clinics. VL - 13 IS - 6 ER -
Department of Nursing and Midwifery, Ruhengeri Referral Hospital, Musanze, Rwanda
Center for Nursing and Midwifery, University of Global Health Equity, Kigali, Rwanda
Center for Nursing and Midwifery, University of Global Health Equity, Kigali, Rwanda
Department of Nursing and Midwifery, Byumba Level Two Teaching Hospital, Gicumbi, Rwanda
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