Introduction: Women's lack of decision-making autonomy is a concern for their access to sexual and reproductive health services. To combat maternal morbidity and mortality, Senegal launched the husbands' school strategy in 2012, with the aim of improving men's involvement. The objective is to assess the perception of the husbands' school among the communities of Koumpentoum (one of the first districts to enrol). Methods: This is a qualitative study. In-depth individual interviews were conducted with healthcare providers (12), community health workers (2) and beneficiaries (men (8) and women (8)). A purposive sampling method was used. The study included people who had been living in the district for at least one year and were involved in the strategy. A thematic analysis was performed using Nvivo 12 software. Results: The strategy is well recognised and adopted by the community because of its preventive and participatory nature in promoting family well-being. The degree of involvement of men was considered sufficient. The recruitment of peer husbands based on the exemplary behaviour of men in their households had created a positive emulation among other men. According to service providers, results were noted in terms of an increase in the fre ntion of reproductive health services and a decrease in cases of husbands opposing their wives' access to health services. Conclusion: The husband school strategy is a strategy that engages positive masculinity and improves access to sexual and reproductive health services. Policy makers could strengthen this strategy and scale it up.
| Published in | Science Journal of Public Health (Volume 14, Issue 1) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.sjph.20261401.12 |
| Page(s) | 14-20 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2026. Published by Science Publishing Group |
School of Husbands, Reproductive Health, Community Engagement, Senegal
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APA Style
Sougou, N. M., Diop, C. T., Diallo, A. I., Diouf, A. A. (2026). Evaluation of the ‘School for Husbands’ Strategy: A Qualitative Assessment 12 Years After Implementation in the Koumpentoum Health District, Senegal. Science Journal of Public Health, 14(1), 14-20. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20261401.12
ACS Style
Sougou, N. M.; Diop, C. T.; Diallo, A. I.; Diouf, A. A. Evaluation of the ‘School for Husbands’ Strategy: A Qualitative Assessment 12 Years After Implementation in the Koumpentoum Health District, Senegal. Sci. J. Public Health 2026, 14(1), 14-20. doi: 10.11648/j.sjph.20261401.12
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Download@article{10.11648/j.sjph.20261401.12,
author = {Ndeye Mareme Sougou and Cheikh Tacko Diop and Amadou Ibra Diallo and Abdou Aziz Diouf},
title = {Evaluation of the ‘School for Husbands’ Strategy:
A Qualitative Assessment 12 Years After Implementation in the Koumpentoum Health District, Senegal},
journal = {Science Journal of Public Health},
volume = {14},
number = {1},
pages = {14-20},
doi = {10.11648/j.sjph.20261401.12},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20261401.12},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.sjph.20261401.12},
abstract = {Introduction: Women's lack of decision-making autonomy is a concern for their access to sexual and reproductive health services. To combat maternal morbidity and mortality, Senegal launched the husbands' school strategy in 2012, with the aim of improving men's involvement. The objective is to assess the perception of the husbands' school among the communities of Koumpentoum (one of the first districts to enrol). Methods: This is a qualitative study. In-depth individual interviews were conducted with healthcare providers (12), community health workers (2) and beneficiaries (men (8) and women (8)). A purposive sampling method was used. The study included people who had been living in the district for at least one year and were involved in the strategy. A thematic analysis was performed using Nvivo 12 software. Results: The strategy is well recognised and adopted by the community because of its preventive and participatory nature in promoting family well-being. The degree of involvement of men was considered sufficient. The recruitment of peer husbands based on the exemplary behaviour of men in their households had created a positive emulation among other men. According to service providers, results were noted in terms of an increase in the fre ntion of reproductive health services and a decrease in cases of husbands opposing their wives' access to health services. Conclusion: The husband school strategy is a strategy that engages positive masculinity and improves access to sexual and reproductive health services. Policy makers could strengthen this strategy and scale it up.},
year = {2026}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Evaluation of the ‘School for Husbands’ Strategy: A Qualitative Assessment 12 Years After Implementation in the Koumpentoum Health District, Senegal AU - Ndeye Mareme Sougou AU - Cheikh Tacko Diop AU - Amadou Ibra Diallo AU - Abdou Aziz Diouf Y1 - 2026/01/19 PY - 2026 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20261401.12 DO - 10.11648/j.sjph.20261401.12 T2 - Science Journal of Public Health JF - Science Journal of Public Health JO - Science Journal of Public Health SP - 14 EP - 20 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2328-7950 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20261401.12 AB - Introduction: Women's lack of decision-making autonomy is a concern for their access to sexual and reproductive health services. To combat maternal morbidity and mortality, Senegal launched the husbands' school strategy in 2012, with the aim of improving men's involvement. The objective is to assess the perception of the husbands' school among the communities of Koumpentoum (one of the first districts to enrol). Methods: This is a qualitative study. In-depth individual interviews were conducted with healthcare providers (12), community health workers (2) and beneficiaries (men (8) and women (8)). A purposive sampling method was used. The study included people who had been living in the district for at least one year and were involved in the strategy. A thematic analysis was performed using Nvivo 12 software. Results: The strategy is well recognised and adopted by the community because of its preventive and participatory nature in promoting family well-being. The degree of involvement of men was considered sufficient. The recruitment of peer husbands based on the exemplary behaviour of men in their households had created a positive emulation among other men. According to service providers, results were noted in terms of an increase in the fre ntion of reproductive health services and a decrease in cases of husbands opposing their wives' access to health services. Conclusion: The husband school strategy is a strategy that engages positive masculinity and improves access to sexual and reproductive health services. Policy makers could strengthen this strategy and scale it up. VL - 14 IS - 1 ER -
Service of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar, Senegal
Department of Public Health, University Alioune Diop, Bambey, Senegal
Service of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar, Senegal
