How to Engage Men in Preconception Health?: A Scoping Review

Background: Men's engagement in maternal and child health care in the preconception health forum is essential because it allows primary prevention of maternal and infant mortality and morbidity. This review aimed to identify strategies to engage men in preconception health.

Materials and methods: This scoping review was conducted from August to September 2022. The database searches included PubMed, EBSCO, and ProQuest from 2012 to 2022, related to men's involvement in reproductive health, preconception health, family planning, maternity, and infant care; articles written in English; national (Indonesia) and international articles; and appropriate thesis. The searched keywords were man/male role, premarital, preconception, reproductive health, and fertility.

Results: The electronic searches turned to 1969 articles, 16 of which met the inclusion criteria and were selected for study analysis. This review identified three themes: identifying programs that are sensitive to the limitations of men; developing community outreach strategies; and engaging management principles, policy, and legislation.

Conclusions: Efforts to engage men in preconception health can be complicated, but several strategic programs have demonstrated some success. Subsequent programs that require men's participation in preconception health services must be sensitive to the identified barriers.