Qualitative Analysis of Men's Involvement in Family Planning in The Philippines: An Ecological Assessment.

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.

Men's Involvement in Sexual and Reproductive Health Care and Decision Making in the Philippines: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Sexual and reproductive health care (SRH) and family planning (FP) services have been primarily female centered. In recent decades, international groups have advocated for men's involvement in SRH and FP, yet related research remains limited and implementation not fully realized in many countries. This systematic review of literature seeks to summarize the barriers and facilitators to men's involvement in SRH/FP services in the Philippines. It is limited to publications in English from 1994 to 2021 regarding studies conducted in the Philippines whose research questions focused on men's involvement in SRH/FP. Eligible studies were assessed for methodological quality using the Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice (JHNEBP) Evidence Rating Scale. The Ecological Model for Health Promotion was used as the guiding theoretical framework for analysis and to report findings. Barriers and facilitators were identified at every ecological level except that of policy. The most common barrier identified was men's deficit in knowledge about SRH/FP; the most common facilitator was the positive influence of their social network on men's attitudes, beliefs, and practices pertaining to SRH/FP. A range of factors from the individual to the community level influenced men's involvement, including religious beliefs, economic means, and cultural gender roles. More studies are needed to provide a fuller understanding of the multilevel ecological factors influencing men's involvement in SRH/FP and inform interventions with men that can positively affect their behavior related to SRH/FP decision making.

Treating postpartum mood and anxiety disorders in primary care pediatrics.

Postpartum psychiatric disorders represent a significant public health problem that has not been readily addressed, particularly in the primary care setting. As maternal mood and anxiety difficulties are associated with a number of adverse outcomes for the mother, her offspring and the family system, addressing these concerns during the perinatal period is of critical importance. Although researchers and clinicians have become increasingly aware of the problem, postpartum mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) remain widely unrecognized and poorly understood by both patients and providers. As pediatric primary care providers encounter mothers repeatedly throughout the postpartum period, the pediatric clinician has the unique opportunity to intervene with mothers suffering from mental illness. Given the potentially devastating impact of PMADs across multiple domains, the purpose of this article is to provide guidelines for pediatric clinicians to better manage maternal mental illness within the primary care pediatric setting. As such, we review the categories and prevalence of PMADs and provide strategies for responding to a positive PMADs screen or concerns raised during surveillance of the mother-infant-dyad. In addition, we offer a summary of the literature on evidence-based treatments for PMADs to allow pediatricians to guide the parents of their patients towards the most effective interventions. Finally, we provide an overview of alternative treatment models that can facilitate the screening and treatment of behavioral health concerns within the primary care setting.