Introduction a repeated pregnancy represents a failure of health and social systems to educate and provide the necessary services and skills to ensure adolescent girls do not experience any further unwanted pregnancies during this young age. We aimed to determine trends and factors associated with repeated adolescent pregnancies in Tanzania 2004-2016. Methods an analytical cross-sectional study was conducted using secondary data from Tanzania demographic and health surveys of the years 2004-2005, 2010 and 2015-2016 among adolescent mothers aged 15 to 19 years. Data analysis was performed using STATA version 15 and considered the complex survey design. The Poisson regression model was used to estimate prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals for factors associated with repeated adolescent pregnancy. Results the proportion of repeated adolescent pregnancies increased from 15.8% in 2004/2005 to 18.6% in 2010, then to 18.8% in 2015/2016. Adolescents who delivered their first pregnancy at home (APR: 1.36, 95% CI: 1.03, 1.78) and who started sexual activity before 15 years of age (APR: 1.80, 95% CI: 1.40, 2.31) were likely repeated adolescent pregnancy. In contrast, adolescents who used contraception (APR: 0.52, 95% CI: 0.34, 0.81) had a lower prevalence of repeated adolescent pregnancies. Conclusion the prevalence of repeated adolescent pregnancies has increased and remains unacceptably high. Adolescents who had low education delivered their first pregnancy at home and were non-contraceptive users need to be targeted in policies and programs for the prevention of repeated adolescent pregnancies.

Background: Adolescent pregnancy increases the risk of maternal and child morbidity and mortality. We aimed to determine trends and factors associated with adolescent pregnancy in Tanzania from 2004 to 2016 using the Tanzania Demographic and Health surveys (TDHS). Methods: We carried out an analytical cross-sectional study using the TDHS data for the years 2004 to 2005, 2010 and 2015 to 2016 among adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 years. Data analysis was performed using STATA version 15. Data analysis considered the complex survey design inherent in the demographic and health survey (DHS) data. The Poisson regression model was used to estimate Prevalence Ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals for factors associated with adolescent pregnancy. Results: We analysed data for a total of 10,972 adolescents for the three TDHS rounds. The proportion of adolescent pregnancy significantly decreased from 26% to 22.8% from the year 2004/05 to 2010 and then increased again to 26.7% in 2015/16. Adolescents who were aged 18 to 19 years (APR 1.52; 95% CI, 1.38 to 1.68) married or cohabiting with their partners (APR 2.15; 95% CI, 1.93 to 2.40; P<.001), widowed/divorced/separated (APR 2.32; 95% CI, 2.03 to 2.66; P<.001), and among those who started sexual activity before 15 years of age (APR 1.20; 95% CI, 1.11 to 1.31; P<.001) were more likely to become pregnant during adolescence. In contrast, adolescents with secondary school education level and above were the least likely to become pregnant (APR 0.62; 95% CI, 0.51 to 0.75; P<.001) compared to those with no formal education. Conclusion: One in four adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 in Tanzania have already started childbearing and despite fluctuation, high rate of adolescent pregnancy persists. Preventive interventions should focus on adolescents with low education level, married/cohabiting with their partners, and who have started sex before 15 years of age. We advocate for the increase of school attendance until high school level to reduce the risk of early pregnancy in adolescents. Furthermore, qualitative studies are crucial to explore reasons for the rising trend of adolescent pregnancy in most zones of Tanzania, particularly between 2010 and 2015/16.

Background: Placental parasitic infections continue to be a public health problem despite numerous interventions put in place. Placental parasitic infections reported are Toxoplasma, Trypanosome, Borrelia, Schistosoma, Hookworm and Plasmodia. The infections persist to cause poor pregnancy outcomes such as maternal anaemia, low birth weight and stillbirth. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and pregnancy outcomes associated with placental parasitic infections at a tertiary hospital in northern Tanzania. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre between June and July 2016. Pregnant women were interviewed before delivery and additional information obtained from their medical files. Blood samples as well as placental material were collected from each mother. Malaria was tested using a malaria rapid diagnostic test (mRDT). A total of 80 placental slide sections were made following histological protocols. After staining, slide sections were examined for the presence of parasites microscopically. Pearson’s Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests were used to test for differences between groups. Results: Placental malaria parasites were found on histological examination of 8(10%) mothers’ placental sections, none of whom had a positive mRDT. Education status was significantly associated with placental malaria (p=0.035). Stillbirth, maternal anaemia and pre-eclampsia were significantly associated with placenta malaria (p<0.05). Conclusion: Placental malaria was found to be prevalent in the studied population and was associated with stillbirth, maternal anaemia and pre-eclampsia. Efforts for developing malaria tests that will detect subclinical infections are needed in order to identify infections early and offer prompt treatment to prevent poor pregnant outcomes.