94% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or good
Learn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish.
Find out more
ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Children and Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1527675
Assessing Male Involvement in Childcare and Associated factors Among fathers of below two in Toke Kutaye District, Central Ethiopia, 2024: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study
Provisionally accepted- 1 Department of Pediatrics and Child Health Nursing, Ambo University, Ambo, Oromia Region, Ethiopia
- 2 Toke Kutaye District Health Department, Guder, Ethiopia
- 3 Department of Public Health, Ambo University, Ambo, Ethiopia
Background: Male involvement in child care is increasingly acknowledged as a crucial factor for promoting positive health and developmental outcomes for children, particularly during the critical early years of life. In Ethiopia, low male participation in child-rearing exacerbates public health issues, including high neonatal and under-five mortality rates. This study examines the prevalence and factors associated with paternal involvement in child care among fathers of children under two years in Toke Kutaye District, Central Ethiopia.Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from January 28 to February 16, 2024. A total of 605 fathers with children under two years were randomly selected for interviews. Data on male involvement in child care were collected using a structured questionnaire. Data were entered using Epi-data version 3.1 and analyzed using SPSS version 26. Bi-variable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed, applying adjusted odds ratios (AOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) to assess statistical significance, with a p-value of less than 0.05. Descriptive statistics were also computed and presented using text, charts, and tables.The study found that 36.7% of fathers exhibited good involvement in childcare practices.While a majority contributed financially (55.6%) and engaged in play (55.4%), significantly fewer fathers participated in essential caregiving activities like feeding (27.3%) or seeking healthcare during illness (17.1%). Multivariable analysis identified significant predictors of paternal involvement: completing secondary education (AOR = 5.24, 95% CI: 2.64-10.38), having male children (AOR = 1.69, 95% CI: 1.094-2.62), first birth order (AOR = 5.66, 95% CI: 2.79-11.45), and fewer family size (AOR = 4.82, 95% CI: 2.58-9.016).This study underscores the limited yet essential role of fathers in child care within the Toke Kutaye District, revealing a need for targeted interventions to enhance paternal engagement. Promoting educational initiatives could serve as a strategy to foster deeper paternal participation in child-rearing practices, ultimately contributing to improved health and developmental outcomes for children.
Keywords: Male involvement, Child Care, Toke Kutaye, Ethiopia, Fathers
Received: 14 Nov 2024; Accepted: 24 Feb 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Ganfure, Debebe and Gela. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Gemechu Ganfure, Department of Pediatrics and Child Health Nursing, Ambo University, Ambo, Oromia Region, Ethiopia
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.