Partner Dynamics at Maternal and New born Continuum of Care Enrollment among a Panel of Six Weeks Postpartum Women in Ethiopia, Community based Longitudinal Study; A multinomial Logistics Regression Analysis

Abstract Introduction: In this era of SDG countries relatively achieving maternal and newborn health geographic coverage are moving to a new paradigm called completion of maternal and new born care continuum (MN-CoC). Measuring the influence of significant others: partner/or husband and community engagement are considered as pivotal and one of the pillar strategies to achieve of completion of MN-CoC. Unfortunately, there is a lack of policy framework for partner and/or husband involvement in pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal care and when exists there is a gap in policy and practice in developing countries context. Articulating and endorsing such policy is likely to promote husband and/or partner encouragement and support during at the enrollment to maternal and newborn care continuum (MN-CoC). Hence, quantifying the level of MN-CoC partner dynamics on antenatal care visit and/or discussion about where to deliver the index child at and identifying its correlates among a panel of six weeks postpartum women provides evidence for the policy articulation endeavor by the Federal Health Ministry of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopian and developmental partners working on reproductive and maternal and newborn health care. Methods: Community based nationally representative longitudinal data collected from a panel of pregnant and six weeks postpartum women were further analyzed. A total of 2,207 six weeks postpartum women who were married and/or living a partner were included in this analysis which was adequate to yield an unbiased estimates for MN-CoC partner dynamics. Multinomial logistics regression was run to identify correlates of partner Dynamics. Results were presented in the form percentages and odds ratio with 95% Confidence Intervals. Statistical significance was declared at p-value of 0.05. Results: The proportion of partner and/or husband dynamics on MN-CoC of among six weeks postpartum women who reported that their partner and/or husband encouraged them to go to clinic for ANC and discussed with them about place of delivery for the index child was nearly 2/3 (64.67%; 62.21%, 67.04%).Besides, nearly one in 5 of them reported that their husband and/or partner did not encourage (18.2%; 16.64%, 20.33) and encouraged either of the first two MN-CoC two domains (17.08%, 15.25%, 19.10%). The region women residing, being in a polygamy marriage, contraceptive ever use history, attainment secondary/higher education and index child delivery place were found to contribute for the variation in MN-CoC partner dynamics. The finding calls up on regionally sensitive activities and efforts with public-private partnership in service provision and targeting women with polygamy which in turn empower women to control over their fertility through increasing higher education enrollment, and diversifying access to contraceptive commodities are hoped to improve MN-CoC partner dynamics. Such endeavors and interventions are hoped to facilitate the ministry and other developmental partners comprehensive efforts to address the MN-CoC partner and/or partner dynamics in terms of policy articulation, advocacy, implementation, evaluation and revising it to fit its purpose and attain the desired targets. Key words: Women Health Partner Dynamics, Maternal and newborn Continuum of care, MN-CoC enrollment and retained, PMA Ethiopia, Community based Longitudinal Surrey