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Issue Addressed: Engagement with health supports benefits the whole family, yet few health services report successful engagement of fathers. Our aim was to describe available evidence on barriers and opportunities relevant to health system access for fathers., Methods: Scoping reviews were conducted seeking empirical evidence from (1) Australian studies and (2) international literature reviews., Results: A total of 52 Australian studies and 44 international reviews were included. The most commonly reported barriers were at the health service level, related to an exclusionary health service focus on mothers. These included both 'surface' factors (e.g., appointment times limited to traditional employment hours) and 'deep' factors, in which health service policies perpetuate traditional gender norms of mothers as 'caregivers' and fathers as 'supporters' or 'providers'. Such barriers were reported consistently, including but not limited to fathers from First Nations or culturally diverse backgrounds, those at risk of poor mental health, experiencing perinatal loss or other adverse pregnancy and birth events, and caring for children with illness, neurodevelopmental or behavioural problems. Opportunities for father engagement include offering father-specific resources and support, facilitating health professionals' confidence and training in working with fathers, and 'gateway consultations', including engaging fathers via appointments for mothers or infants. Ideally, top-down policies should support fathers as infant caregivers in a family-based approach., Conclusions: Although barriers and opportunities exist at individual and cultural levels, health services hold the key to improved engagement of fathers. SO WHAT?: Evidence-based, innovative strategies, informed by fathers' needs and healthy masculinities, are needed to engage fathers in health services., (© 2024 The Authors. Health Promotion Journal of Australia published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australian Health Promotion Association.)

Background: Family-centred maternity care models include the expectation that fathers prepare for and attend the birth. In Australia over 20% of the population is from a culturally and linguistically diverse background. Public policies espouse culturally competent healthcare. Little is known about the experiences of perinatal health care of men from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities living in high income countries. The aim was to understand the experiences, attitudes and beliefs about father's inclusion in perinatal healthcare, from the growing, and recently settled community of Ethiopian families living in Australia., Methods: A qualitative study using semi-structured individual interviews with Ethiopian-Australian men and women who had experienced Australian maternity care and were sampled for diversity of time since migration, and parity. Interviews were in English, audio-recorded, transcribed and then analysed thematically., Results: Participants were seven women and six men all born in Ethiopia, including two couples. Key themes included: the loss of extended family through migration, new roles for both parents and the need to establish 'family-like' relationships with friendship groups in Australia. There was a willingness to involve male partners in the Ethiopian community in Australia, although it was recognised as a cultural change. Experiences of male partner involvement were mixed among healthcare types, with men attending Maternal and Child Health (MCH) appointments less frequently than antenatal (ANC) appointments., Conclusions: Results suggests men may be missing out on the education provided during antenatal appointments and may benefit from an alternative. There were not universally high levels of cultural competency among healthcare professionals, with further training still required. Commitment to paid employment remains a barrier to men's involvement, suggesting that flexible working conditions and increased paternity leave would support their involvement. Alternatively services could utilise flexible delivery methods such as phone and zoom to include fathers., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Background: Maternal mortality remains a pressing concern across Sub-Sahara Africa. The 'Three Delays Model' suggests that maternal deaths are a consequence of delays in: seeking care, reaching medical care and receiving care. Birth Preparedness and Complication Readiness (BPCR) refers to a plan organised during pregnancy in preparation for a normal birth and in case of complications. Male partners in many Sub-Saharan African communities could play a pivotal role in a woman's ability to prepare for birth and respond to obstetric complications. This review aimed identify: the extent and quality of research performed on the topic of male partner involvement in BPCR in Sub-Saharan Africa; the degree to which populations and geographic areas are represented; how male partner involvement has been conceptualized; how male partners response to obstetric complications has been conceptualised; how the variation in male partners involvement has been measured and if any interventions have been performed., Methods: In this scoping review, articles were identified through a systematic search of databases MEDLINE, EMBASE and Maternity and Infant Care and a manual scan of relevant papers, journals and websites. All authors contributed to the screening process and a quality assessment using the Kmet checklist. The PRISMA checking list for Scoping Reviews was used to guide the search, data charting and reporting of the review The protocol was registered with PROSPERO (ID: CRD42019126263)., Results: Thirty-five articles met inclusion criteria, reporting: 13 qualitative, 13 cross-sectional, 5 mixed method and 4 intervention studies. Data were contributed by approximately 14,550 participants (numbers were not always reported for focus groups) including: women who were pregnant or who had experienced pregnancy or childbirth within the previous 3 years, their male partners and key informants such as health workers and community leaders., Conclusions: The diversity of study designs, aims and source countries in this body of literature reflects an emerging stage of research; as a result, the review yielded strong evidence in some areas and gaps in others. Male partner's involvement in BPCR and responding to obstetric emergencies can be conceptualised as being centrally involved in responding to complications and having some role in preparing for birth through their position in the chain of decisions and provision of logistic support. However, their knowledge of pregnancy complications and level of preparation for birth is low, suggesting they are making decisions without being fully informed. There is limited evidence on interventions to improve their knowledge. Future research efforts should be focused on producing standardised, culturally appropriate, higher level evidence.

Background: Complications during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period present a significant and complex public health problem in low income countries such as Ethiopia. One strategy endorsed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to improve maternal and child health outcomes is to encourage male partner involvement in pregnancy care. This research aimed to explore the relationships between 1) male attendance at antenatal care and 2) socio-economic and women's empowerment factors and adherence to focused antenatal care guidelines among women receiving care in Ethiopia., Methods: Secondary analysis of 2011 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data. A sub-sample of couples with a child aged 0-2 years old, for whom women attended at least one antenatal care (ANC) appointment was selected. Predictor variables on socio-economic position, demographic and women's empowerment factors, and male attendance at antenatal care were identified. Six outcome variables were constructed to indicate whether or not women: commenced ANC in the first trimester, attended at least four ANC appointments, received a urine test, received a blood test, were counselled on potential complications during pregnancy and met these focused antenatal care guidelines. Binary logistic regression was performed to estimate the relationship between the predictor and outcome variables., Results: After controlling for other factors, women whose partners attended ANC were significantly more likely to receive urine and blood tests and be counselled about pregnancy complications compared to women who attended alone. Male attendance was not associated with women commencing care in the first trimester or attending at least four appointments. Although more women whose male partners had attended appointments received all recommended components of ANC than those who attended alone, this association was not significant., Conclusions: The results revealed some benefits and did not detect harms from including male partners in focused antenatal care. Including men may require changes to maternal healthcare systems and training of healthcare workers, to adopt 'father inclusive' practices. Given the limited research in this area, large population studies including the DHS routinely carried out in Ethiopia could enhance knowledge by including more detailed indicators of male involvement in pregnancy, maternal and child healthcare and early child development.

Background: Fathers' mental health, parenting practices and co-parenting relationships have a powerful effect on child development. The paucity of research on the parenting strengths and support needs of fathers of children across childhood and adolescence compels the current study addressing the parenting experiences of a large sample of fathers of birth to 18-year-old children. Objective: The study aims address: (1) differences in the views of mothers and fathers regarding their parenting practices, sense of parenting efficacy, mental health and the co-parenting relationship; (2) investigation of factors affecting fathers' mental health; (3) exploration of fathers' views about the co-parenting relationship; and (4) examination of influences on fathers' parenting. Methods: The study involves secondary analysis of data collected from the first wave of the Australian "Parenting Today in Victoria" study, conducted in 2016 (N = 2600 mothers and fathers) involving 1044 fathers (40% of the sample) recruited through random dialling of landline and mobile numbers to produce a representative sample of parents of children 0-18 years. Results: Results demonstrate a positive picture of fathering at a population level -- most reported (a) high levels of parenting self-efficacy, (b) using positive parenting strategies, (c) talking to their children directly when their children experience problems, and (d) feeling supported by their parenting partner in their role as fathers. Nevertheless, important areas of need are identified. Fathers' reports of mental health challenges were associated with reduced parenting sense of efficacy and reduced opportunities for positive father-child interactions. While most fathers reported good partner support, this was often in contrast to mothers' views. Conclusions: These results from one of the largest surveys of fathers of its kind provide credible insights into the experiences and support needs of fathers, with clear implications for policy makers and service providers responsible for designing and delivering supports for fathers.

The study aimed to document the preferences of fathers in accessing and using parenting supports and to investigate the influence of a range of family contextual factors including paternal mental health, child disability, the co-parenting relationship and parenting sense of efficacy on fathers' help-seeking. Participants included a representative sample of 1,044 fathers of zero- to 18-year-olds. Results suggest that most fathers feel supported in their parenting role and rely on their own efforts (e.g. online searches) for information to support their parenting in preference to in-person interactions with professionals or attendance at groups. The co-parenting relationship and paternal mental health were also identified as important factors impacting on paternal help-seeking behaviours. These results from one of the largest surveys of fathers of its kind provide credible insights into the parenting help-seeking experiences and support needs of fathers, with clear implications for policy makers and service providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issue Addressed: Australian maternal, family and child services increasingly espouse the value of being 'father‐inclusive'. However, fathers report feeling excluded or marginalised during healthcare visits with their partners/infants, and experience barriers to engaging in perinatal healthcare at the community, individual and healthcare service level. These barriers may be amplified in men who are members of minority groups, such as those from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds. Methods: This research investigated healthcare professionals' perceptions and experiences of providing perinatal health services to families from CALD backgrounds. Semi‐structured interviews were held with healthcare professionals from multiple disciplinary backgrounds providing services to families in the perinatal period. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and analysed thematically to identify key themes and sub‐themes. Results: Ten healthcare professionals were interviewed. Participants acknowledged that inclusion of fathers in care is important as involvement enables fathers to support their pregnant partners and children, manage their own mental health, and helps to transform harmful gender roles. Conclusions: Overall, healthcare professionals are willing to include culturally diverse fathers. However, the ability of culturally diverse families to engage with healthcare services is impacted by the cultural competency of the services. So what? Healthcare delivered during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum year may be improved by adopting a whole‐family approach, which considers the needs and perspectives of fathers and partners. However, particular attention is needed to ensure healthcare policies and practices are culturally competent to meet the needs of fathers from culturally diverse backgrounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]