Spouse involvement for postnatal utilization providing emotional assistance, may benefit the women by decreasing stress, encouragement of positive behaviors and maintenance of emotional security during this crucial life event. 

Objectives:

The aim of the study was to examine the role of spouse involvement in accessing postnatal care utilization among Married Women.

Methodology

The study was conducted among 300 postnatal women recruited from community and health facilities belonging to low- and middle-income families in Karachi. The study was conducted at Kausar Niazi Colony and People’s Primary Health Care Initiative (PPHI) in Karachi and the study duration was four months. This was a community and facility-based cross-sectional study and purposive sampling techniques were used for the data collection through a structured questionnaire.

Results

The study respondents were married women, out of which 48.3% were in the age bracket of 26- 34 years old. The education level of 51% of women Matric or Intermediate level similar to their spouses. The association of PNC utilization of with spouse level of education and spouse income was significant. Women (95.8%) who deliver their child at hospital as compared to the ones, who deliver at home, utilized more PNC services similar to women who had C-Section deliveries. Majority of women utilized Health Facility based PNC services as compared to community outreach PNC services that was also highly significant. PNC utilization increased with the increase in spouse accompanying women for PNC visits. Thus, while, 97.2%women utilized more PNC services as their husband accompanying the women. However, (98.6%) spouse was present at the time of delivery. Whereas, (60.6%) spouse support their women for postpartum family planning which was insignificance.

Conclusion

The study revealed that role of spouse involvement for postnatal care measures in health care facility based and community outreach should be based on demographic and socio-economic factors such as reproductive age of women, spouse and wife level of education, spouse income, place of residence, mode of delivery, spouse accompanying women for PNC utilization, present at the time of delivery and provided transport for postnatal care utilization.

 Keywords

Spouse involvement, maternal heath, Community-based health care, health facility utilization and Postnatal care