Clinical and maternal factors related to father’s involvement in pregnancy: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES: to verify the paternal involvement in pregnancy according to maternal and clinical factors. METHODS: cross-sectional study conducted in two primary health care units in Fortaleza, Brazil, during prenatal consultations with 130 women between May 2022 and March 2023. Participants completed the Paternal Involvement in Pregnancy Inventory and a form on sociodemographic, obstetric, and prenatal characteristics. Statistical analyses included the Shapiro-Wilk test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Spearman's correlation. RESULTS: half of the fathers never accompanied women to medical appointments, although most were always involved in other aspects. Paternal involvement was associated with paid employment (p = 0.049), family income (p = 0.022), living with a partner (p < 0.001), children at home (p = 0.035), and number of pregnancies (p = 0.035). CONCLUSIONS: greater paternal involvement was observed among employed women, living with a partner, with fewer children at home, and up to two pregnancies, while lower income was associated with less involvement.