A phenomenological qualitative study of male-partners perspectives of maternity waiting homes in rural Ethiopia.

Background: The implementation of maternity waiting home (MWH) has been used as a strategy to improve maternal health outcomes in low-resource settings such as Ethiopia. However, MWH utilization is low in Ethiopia, and women's access to MWH depends largely on male partners' decisions. This study explored male-partners perspectives of MWHs including their experiences of paternal support in rural Ethiopia. Study design: An exploratory qualitative study with a phenomenological methodological orientation was performed. Methods: This study was conducted in Ana-Lemo and Gibe districts of Hadiya Zone, in rural Southern Ethiopia. The study participants were male partners. A purposive sampling technique was used to recruit 47 participants. Data were collected from May 10-25, 2023. Four focus group discussions, 15 in-depth interviews, and observations were conducted. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and the thematic content analysis was performed using ATLAS.ti 7.1.4 software. Results: This study showed that male-partners participated in spousal communication and provided practical support such as sharing household chores and financial support; however, they did not accompany their spouses to health facilities. Long distances, lack of transportation, poor referral services, and perceived poor quality of care were barriers to maternal health services. Furthermore, male-partners demonstrated poor awareness and unfavorable attitudes of MWHs. Conclusions: Male-partners participated in spousal communication, shared household chores and provided financial support to their spouses; however, they did not accompany them to health facilities. They had poor awareness and unfavorable attitudes of MWHs. Creating awareness among male partners may improve their attitude towards MWHs and other maternal health services in rural Ethiopia.