Father's involvement in their child's health care: Determinants and correlation with child health outcome

• Main Author: Avelino, Aldrin M.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2019
• Subjects: Children—Health and hygiene—Philippines—Valenzuela City; Father and child—Philippines—Valenzuela City; Medicine and Health
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_masteral/6610; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/etd_masteral/article/13596/viewcontent/Avelino__Aldrin_M.___Fathers_Involvement_in_Child_Healthcare2_Redacted.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

This study aims to determine and describe the level of involvement of fathers from Valenzuela City on their child’s health care. It also intends to determine how their involvement in their child’s health care and explain its association with their gender-role beliefs, happiness about relationship dynamics with their spouse or partner, and attitude towards child health care. Furthermore, it ascertains the correlation between their level of involvement in child health care and their child’s level of health condition. The research made use of a quantitative methodological approach and utilized a self-administered structured survey questionnaire as its data collection tool for respondents who are able to read and write, while researcher-administered was used for respondents who are uncomfortable answering by themselves or who are illiterate. A total of 150 fathers, with a child 6 months to 5 years old who regularly are consulting in the Valenzuela City- District 1 Barangay Health Center, were selected using purposive non-probability sampling technique. The data gathered was analyzed using descriptive statistics to find the mean scores, frequencies, and percentages. Meanwhile, the Spearman Rho non-parametric inferential statistics was used to test the associations of variables. Findings revealed that they that have high egalitarian gender-role beliefs which means that they believe that childcare and domestic task roles should be equally shared by both fathers and mothers. The findings also revealed that respondents are happy about their relation dynamics with their spouse or partner, they have positive attitudes towards the health care of their child, they have high level involvement in the health care of their child, and that they perceived their child to have a very satisfactory health outcomes both physically and psychosocially. As for the associations of the variables, it was found that their gender role beliefs has no association with their involvement on their child’s health care, happiness about their spouse or partner relationship dynamics has positive moderate association with their involvement on their child’s healthcare, attitude towards their child heath has positive weak association with their involvement’s on their child’s health care. Finally, father’s involvement on their child’s healthcare has been indicated to have positive weak association with child health outcomes. The father’s involvement in the child’s healthcare therefore is an important factor to determine the health condition of the child. And, that father’s involvement on their child’s healthcare is determined by their happiness with their spouse/partner’s relationship dynamics and their attitudes towards their involvement with their child’s health care. Recommendations were offered to support father’s involvement in the child’s health care.