Background: The level of spousal involvement in antenatal care (ANC) is not what it should be. This is a concern because a number of preventable maternal and neonatal mortality or morbidity can be attributed to a lack of interest or participation in ANC by their spouses, which usually result in a delay in seeking healthcare and/or delay in reaching a healthcare facility.
Aim: To assess the degree of spousal involvement in ANC among women accessing care at the Immunization Clinic in Babcock University Teaching Hospital (BUTH), Ogun State, Nigeria.
Patients and methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. Two hundred and sixty-eight (268) women who attended the antenatal clinic in their last pregnancy participated in the study. Semi-structured questionnaires were administered in an interview-based manner to each participant. Data were entered and analyzed using IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 22.0).
Results: There was good spousal involvement (56%) in ANC. Statistically significant associations were found between the age, education level, occupation, and income of the spouses and their involvement (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: Spousal involvement in ANC in this study was above average. Measures that can consolidate the identified predictors of good spousal involvement in ANC should be adopted.
Keywords: Antenatal care; Nigeria; spousal involvement.