BackgroundThe Millennium Development Goal No 4 (MDG 4) requires countries to scale up interventions addressing malnutrition and other immediate determinants of burden of disease among children to reduce child mortality by two thirds by 2015, which is this year. Whereas globally some achievements have been registered, under-nourishment remains a significant problem in some developing countries such as Tanzania. This study set out to estimate the extent of stunting and its associated determinants to assess the progress made thus far towards achieving MDG 4 in Tanzania.MethodsA random sample of 678 households with under-five children was selected from two randomly selected wards of Kongwa district in Dodoma region, Tanzania. The WHO anthropometric calculator, which computes Z-scores using a reference population, was used to process the anthropometric measurement data taken from all the participants. Children with height for age Z-score of less than 2 were categorised as stunted and coded as 1 and the rest were coded as 0. Proportions of stunting were compared using the chi-square test to determine the association between stunting and the independent variables. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was carried out to determine the Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) of the independent determinants of stunting. The cut-off for significant association was set at p = 0.05. All these analyses used the STATA 12 software.ResultsAbout half (49.7 %) of the children were stunted. This stunting was associated with belonging to households where the head of family was young (<35 years) (AOR = 0.67, 95 % CI 0.47–0.96, p = 0.031), young age of the mothers (AOR = 1.54, 95 % CI 1.06–2.24, p = 0.023), and economic variables such as owning a cellular phone (AOR = 0.66, 96 % CI 0.46–0.94, p = 0.023).ConclusionsStunting was highly prevalent in Kongwa district despite general improvements in child nutritional status at the national level. Household characteristics and economic status were found to play a major role in child health. In this regard, disaggregated analyses are therefore important in identifying resilient areas in need of concerted efforts for the MDG 4 to be achieved nationwide.

BackgroundMen as the main decision makers in most of African families have an important role to play towards acceptance of family planning methods. This study sought to identify strategies used to engage men in family planning services and determine the extent to which men in Kibaha district in Tanzania accept these interventions.MethodsWe conducted a cross sectional study using both quantitative and qualitative techniques. We used a questionnaire to interview a random sample of 365 of currently married or cohabiting men who had at least one child under the age of five years. We further conducted in-depth interviews with health workers involved in delivering reproductive health services as well as community dispensers of family planning commodities. Descriptive analysis was used to determine the extent to which men were engaged in family planning services. The data from the indepth interviews were analysed manually according to the predetermined themes, guided by the grounded theory to identify the existing strategies used to encourage male involvement in family planning services.ResultsAccording to the key informants, strategies that are used to encourage men to engage in family planning services include invitations through their spouses, either verbally or by using partner notification cards, incorporating family planning messages during monthly meetings and community outreach reproductive health programs. Of 365 men responding to the questionnaire, only 31 (8.4%) said they were invited to accompany their spouses to family planning clinics. Among them, 71% (22/31) visited family planning clinics. A third (32%) of the respondents had heard of community health meetings and only 20.7% of them attended these meetings. More than a third (12/34) of men who attended these meeting asserted that family planning messages targeting men featured in the agenda and subsequently half of them visited health facilities for family planning services.ConclusionsExisting strategies such as invitations to clinics and community sensitization have shown to encourage men to engage in family planning services. However, these interventions reach few men and hence there is a need to rolling them up to improve uptake of family planning services.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12978-016-0253-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Introduction excess body weight among adolescents is on the increase and has become a global public health challenge. It is likely to persist to adulthood, exposing to risk of developing chronic diseases. However, there is insufficient information on the prevalence of excess body weight and associated factors among adolescent girls in secondary schools in northern Tanzania. Methods this cross-sectional study involved 400 secondary school adolescent girls, selected by multi-stage cluster sampling. A self-administered questionnaire was used to gather information. Anthropometric measurements were taken and body mass index calculated. Descriptive statistics summarized the data. Logistic regression was used to model excess body weight resulting into adjusted odds ratios with their 95% confidence intervals and significant level was set at p-value<0.05. Results the proportion of adolescents with excess body weight (BMI >+1SD) was 23%. The majority (63%), reported unhealthy dietary habits while half (51.5%) of them had moderate level of knowledge on healthy eating. Compared to working as a civil servant, the odds of having excess body weight among girls whose mothers/female guardians were housewives was less by 60% (aOR=0.4, 95%CI: 0.2, 0.9). Furthermore, the odds of having excess body weight among adolescents eating unhealthy foods were almost six times higher compared to their peers on healthy diet (aOR=5.8, 95%CI: 2.9, 11.3). Conclusion prevalence of excess body weight among adolescent girls in northern Tanzania is high. Unhealthy dietary habits and mother's/female guardian's occupation were significant correlates of excess body weight. We recommend platforms to inform adolescents on the importance of proper food intake and to advance knowledge on dangers of excessive weight gain as a strategy towards prevention of nutrition-related diseases.

No abstract

Background: Men in developing countries play an important role in the adoption of family planning (FP), either as actual users or supporters of their partners. Notwithstanding the universal knowledge on the contraceptive methods, their approval and use have been low among men in Tanzania. This study determined the magnitude and factors that influence men to use or approve the use of modern contraceptive methods with their spouses. Methods: A cross sectional, community-based study was conducted in Kibaha, Pwani region in 2014. A total of 365 randomly selected married and cohabiting men; aged 18 to 60 years who had at least a child below the age of 5 years were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were performed and associations between status of men using modern FP with their partners and potential factors were tested using Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests as appropriate. Logistic regression model was fitted to determine significant factors associated with male use of the methods with their partners. Results: About 60 % of men (59.7%) reported to use modern FP methods. In the bivariate analysis, education level (odds ratio (OR) = 2.6, CI = 1.4-4.8; p = 0.002); men knowledge on any contraceptive method (OR = 24.1, CI = 7.3-79.9; p < 0.001); awareness of a nearby FP clinic (OR = 6.2, CI = 3.1-12.3; p < 0.001); number of children (OR = 2, CI = 1.1-3.6; p < 0.025) and presence of a provider during clinic visit (OR = 12.0, CI = 2.26-63.7; p < 0.004) were significantly associated with the use of FP. However, in the multivariable analysis, only knowledge on FP methods (adjusted odds ratios (AOR) =26.4; CI = 7.9-88.4, p < 0.001) and number of children a man had (AOR = 1.9; CI = 1.0-3.6, p = 0.039) remained significantly associated with the use of modern FP methods. Conclusion: This study has shown that for men to use family planning methods with their partners, knowledge of FP methods and number of children are critical factors. Visiting a FP center alone or with a spouse, and availability of FP provider (during visit) also influence this practice. These findings emphasize a need to increase knowledge on contraception and family planning services access among men.