Qualitative analysis of men's involvement in family planning in the Philippines

Abstract

While family planning (FP) programs have the capacity to empower women, support gender equality, and reduce poverty, male involvement is an influential factor for the uptake of FP that has been lacking. In the past decade, there have been more progressive FP policies and growing attention on male involvement in FP in the Philippines, providing an opportunity to develop evidence-based interventions to better integrate men into FP services by approaching care delivery from a family-focused perspective. This paper sought to understand the current role of men in FP services and explore how to strengthen facilitators and overcome barriers to optimize men’s involvement in FP in the Philippines. Using the Ecological Model for Health Promotion, this qualitative study used convenience sampling to collect data through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions at all levels of the ecosystem. All data were collected in the Albay area, with the exception of some policy data collected in Manila. Qualitative analysis was guided by content analysis. The final sample included 66 participants across the ecosystem. Two primary themes emerged: (1) Resources and health care systems structure impact on male involvement in FP and (2) Education and training that support male involvement in FP. The findings of our qualitative study suggest that while men in the Philippines and their ecosystems support men’s FP involvement, the inconsistent health care systems and protocols are not yet reaching men with information and education they need to help them make informed FP decisions with their female partners.