Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33846143›Full record

SynthesisBMJ global health2021

Systematic review of the concept 'male involvement in maternal health' by natural language processing and descriptive analysis.

Anna Galle, Gaëlle Plaieser, Tessa Van Steenstraeten, Sally Griffin, Nafissa Bique Osman, Kristien Roelens, Olivier Degomme

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMJ global health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
32citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

32 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  6. Couple Relationships and Interaction During Pregnancy: A Comprehensive Review of Key Relational Dynamics.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Anna GalleICRH, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium anna.galle@ugent.be.ORCID 0000-0003-1427-5067
Gaëlle PlaieserICRH, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium.
Tessa Van SteenstraetenICRH, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium.
Sally GriffinInternational Centre for Reproductive Health - Mozambique (ICRHM), Maputo, Mozambique.
Nafissa Bique OsmanDepartamento de Obstetrícia e Ginecologia, Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Maputo, Mozambique.
Kristien RoelensDepartment of Human Structure and Repair, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium.
Olivier DegommeICRH, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionExperts agree that male involvement in maternal health is a multifaceted concept, but a robust assessment is lacking, hampering interpretation of the literature. This systematic review aims to examine the conceptualisation of male involvement in maternal health globally and review commonly used indicators.

methodsPubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science and CINAHL databases were searched for quantitative literature (between the years 2000 and 2020) containing indicators representing male involvement in maternal health, which was defined as the involvement, participation, engagement or support of men in all activities related to maternal health.

resultsAfter full-text review, 282 studies were included in the review. Most studies were conducted in Africa (43%), followed by North America (23%), Asia (15%) and Europe (12%). Descriptive and text mining analysis showed male involvement has been conceptualised by focusing on two main aspects: psychosocial support and instrumental support for maternal health care utilisation. Differences in measurement and topics were noted according to continent with Africa focusing on HIV prevention, North America and Europe on psychosocial health and stress, and Asia on nutrition. One-third of studies used one single indicator and no common pattern of indicators could be identified. Antenatal care attendance was the most used indicator (40%), followed by financial support (17%), presence during childbirth (17%) and HIV testing (14%). Majority of studies did not collect data from men directly. DISCUSSION: Researchers often focus on a single aspect of male involvement, resulting in a narrow set of indicators. Aspects such as communication, shared decision making and the subjective feeling of support have received little attention. We believe a broader holistic scope can broaden the potential of male involvement programmes and stimulate a gender-transformative approach. Further research is recommended to develop a robust and comprehensive set of indicators for assessing male involvement in maternal health.

Indexed as

Maternal HealthMaternal Health ServicesAfricaEuropeFemaleHumansMaleNatural Language ProcessingPregnancymaternal healthreview

Identifiers

PMID33846143
PMCPMC8048011

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.