Correlates of maternal, newborn and child health services uptake, including male partner involvement: Baseline survey results from Bangladesh

South Asia bears a substantial proportion of the global maternal mortality burden, with adolescents disproportionately affected. Bangladesh has one of the highest adolescent pregnancy rates in the world, with low utilisation of maternal newborn and child health (MNCH) services. This hampers the country's efforts to achieve optimal health outcomes as envisioned by the Sustainable Development Goals. Male partner involvement is a recognised approach to optimise access to services and decision-making. In South Asia data on male involvement in MNCH service uptake is limited. Plan International's Strengthening Health Outcomes for Women and Children was implemented across four districts in Bangladesh between 2016 and 2020 and aimed to address these issues. Study results (N = 1,724) found higher maternal education levels were associated with use of MNCH services. After controlling for maternal education, service uptake was associated with male partner support level and perceived joint decision-making. The positive association between male support level and MNCH scale was robust to stratification by maternal education level, and by age group (i.e. adolescent vs. adult mothers). These findings suggest that one path for achieving optimal MNCH outcomes might be through structural-level interventions centred on women, combined with components targeting male partners or male heads of households.

Automated summary

South Asia has a high burden of maternal mortality, particularly among adolescents. Bangladesh, with one of the highest rates of adolescent pregnancy, has low utilization of maternal newborn and child health (MNCH) services, hindering progress towards achieving optimal health outcomes. Male partner involvement is crucial in improving access to services and decision-making. Limited data exists on male involvement in MNCH service uptake in South Asia. The Strengthening Health Outcomes for Women and Children project by Plan International aimed to address these issues. Study results showed that higher maternal education levels were associated with use of MNCH services. After controlling for maternal education, service uptake was linked to male partner support and joint decision-making. These findings suggest the importance of structural-level interventions targeting both women and their male partners for achieving optimal MNCH outcomes.