Spousal communication on family planning, pregnancy, and delivery care among men in rural Northern Nigeria

Introduction: Communication between a husband and wife is necessary for joint decision-making on reproductive health issues. This study assessed the practice of spousal communication and reasons for not engaging in spousal communication among married men in two rural communities in Northern Nigeria. Materials and Methods: It was a cross-sectional study conducted among 411 married men selected through multistage sampling. Data were collected using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire containing open- and close-ended questions and analyzed using SPSS Statistics version 17.0. Results: All of the men were Muslim and Hausa-Fulani, with mean age 37.3 ± 10.9 years. Overall, spousal communication was adequate in 204 (49.6%) of them. It was highest on whether or not wife should attend antenatal care (ANC) (68.3%), importance of ANC (66.3%), and services available at the health facility during ANC and delivery (55.6%). It was lowest on whether or not the couple should use family planning (22.4%), when to get pregnant (21.0%), husband's or wife's feeling about family planning (21.0%), and number of children to have (14.6%). The most common reason given for not engaging in spousal communication was that religion forbids the act and such discussion is not important. Conclusion and Recommendation: More effort should be put into improving spousal communication, especially in relation to family planning and birth preparedness. Such effort must address harmful cultural and religious beliefs, possibly by collaborating with religious leaders.