Background and Objective Anaemia in pregnancy is a public health problem in developing countries. This study aimed to determine the prevalence, risk factors, and adverse perinatal outcomes of anaemia among pregnant women in Moshi Municipal, Northern Tanzania. Methods This was a follow-up study conducted from October 2013 to June 2015. A total of 539 pregnant women were enrolled in this study. Interviews were conducted followed by determination of haemoglobin level. Women were followed up at delivery and at 7 days and 28 days after delivery. Results A total of 529 women were included in this analysis. Their mean age was 25.8 (SD 5.73). The prevalence of anaemia was 18.0% and 2% had severe anaemia. The clinic of recruitment and low education level of the women were the factors that were independently associated with anaemia during pregnancy. At delivery, there were 10 stillbirths, 16 low birth weight (LBW) newborns, and 2 preterm birth cases. No association was found between anaemia and LBW, preterm birth, or stillbirths. Conclusion Anaemia in pregnancy was a mild public health problem in the study setting of Northern Tanzania.

This study assessed the prevalence and risk factors associated with underweight, stunting and wasting among children aged 0–24 months in six districts of Kilimanjaro region, northern Tanzania. A cross-sectional population-based study using a multistage, proportionate to size sampling was conducted from June 2010 to March 2011. A structured questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic, economic, feeding and child information. Anthropometric data were collected by trained field workers, and the data were used to assess child nutritional status. A total of 1870 children were enrolled in this study. The prevalence of children classified as underweight was 46.0%, stunting was 41.9%, and wasting was 24.7%. About 33% were both underweight and stunted, and 12% had all three conditions. In a multivariate logistic regression, child age, child being ill and birth weight were associated with all anthropometric indices. Child being breastfed was associated with being underweight and wasting. Mother’s education was associated with being underweight and stunting. Fathers aged 35+ years, and living in the Hai district was associated with stunting, and being female was associated with wasting. The prevalence of child undernutrition is high in this region. Strategies that target each risk factor for child undernutrition may help to reduce the problem in the region.

BackgroundKnowledge on infant feeding among pregnant women is essential when promoting optimal breastfeeding practices. This study aimed to assess the knowledge of women on optimal breastfeeding during pregnancy and associated factors as well as performance of the health system in reaching women with information on breastfeeding and infant feeding issues.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2013 to April 2014 among pregnant women, in their third trimester, attending for routine care at two primary health care facilities in Moshi urban, northern Tanzania.ResultsA total of 536 women were enrolled, with mean age of 25.9 (SD 5.7) years. Only 51% (n = 274) reported to have received counselling on breastfeeding from their healthcare providers during the current pregnancy.More than seven out of ten pregnant women were knowledgeable about key issues regarding appropriate breastfeeding practices: importance of colostrum (95%), time of breastfeeding initiation (71%), exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) (81%), and time of introducing complementary feeding (83%).Receiving counselling on breastfeeding during the current pregnancy (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] 3.7; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 2.4, 5.7), having two children (AOR 2.6; 95% CI: 1.5, 4.4), having three or more children (AOR 3.5; 95% CI: 1.8, 6.9) and intention to breastfeed the child exclusively (AOR 3.6; 95% CI: 2.0, 6.5) were significantly associated with appropriate breastfeeding knowledge.ConclusionsThe health system failed to reach the 49% of women who did not receive counselling on infant feeding. Pregnant women who had received counselling on optimal breastfeeding and women with more than one child were more likely to have knowledge of optimal breastfeeding practices.

The aim of the study was to determine the proportion of pregnant women that was tested for HIV, syphilis and hemoglobin during routine antenatal care in Moshi municipality, Tanzania. A cross sectional study was conducted in October 2013 -March 2014. Pregnant women in their 3 rd trimester who were attending for routine antenatal care at Pasua and Majengo health centers were enrolled. Interviews were done to determine if women were tested for the 3 tests mentioned in earlier pregnancy, prior to the study followed by clinical examination and sample collection to test for HIV, syphilis and Hb. Data were entered and analyzed by using SPSS. A total of 536 women were enrolled. Despite being in the third trimester and had attended for routine antenatal care several times, the majority of pregnant women were not screened for syphilis (89.4%), (28.6%) were not screened for hemoglobin level and only 1% reported not to be screened for HIV. Three hundred and sixty three participants (87.9%) reported to have received iron supplement.

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends early initiation of breastfeeding within 1 h as it confers many benefits to the child and prevents neonatal mortality. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with timely initiation of breastfeeding in the Kilimanjaro region, northern Tanzania. Methods: We analyzed secondary data for 866 participants from a population-based cross-sectional study conducted in April 2016 among mothers with children aged less than 5 years in three districts; Rombo, Same, and Moshi Municipal council in Kilimanjaro region, northern Tanzania. A multistage sampling selected study participants and interviewed using a questionnaire. The generalized linear model, with Poisson family and log-link function was used to estimate the prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for factors associated with timely initiation of breastfeeding. Results: The prevalence of timely initiation of breastfeeding was 71.1%. The vast majority of mothers (90.7%) gave colostrum, and less than a tenth (6.4%) gave pre-lacteal feed to their children. Adjusted for other factors, not giving children prelacteal feeds remained was significantly associated with a higher prevalence of timely initiation of breastfeeding (PR: 2.22, 95%CI 1.38, 3.56, p = 0.001). There was no significant association between other characteristics and the likelihood of timely initiation of breastfeeding in this study. Conclusion: The prevalence of timely initiation of breastfeeding in the Kilimanjaro region was higher than the national estimate. The practice of not giving infants prelacteal feeds increased the likelihood of timely initiation of breastfeeding. There is a need to encourage mothers on the significance of recommended ANC visits and early initiation of breastfeeding to their infants to improve the practice.

Background. Infections transmitted from mother to child (MTCT) during pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding contribute significantly to the high infant and childhood morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan African countries. The most significant and preventable of these include HIV, syphilis, and rubella. To achieve elimination, mothers need to be aware of and to understand effective preventive measures against these infections. Lack of comprehensive knowledge on transmission and prevention of MTCT infections is one of the factors hindering achievement of the elimination goals for these infections. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge of HIV, syphilis, rubella, and associated factors among mothers in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania. Methods. We conducted a community-based cross-sectional study in three districts of the Kilimanjaro region from September to October 2016. The study involved mothers with children up to five years of age. Data collection involved the use of a questionnaire, administered by face-to-face interviews. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess predictors of mothers’ knowledge on MTCT infections. Results. A total of 618 mothers were recruited, with a mean age of 29.6 (SD 7.6) years. The overall knowledge on MTCT infections was low. The highest level of knowledge on MTCT infections was regarding HIV (89.2%). Fewer mothers had knowledge of syphilis (27.8%). Rubella was the least known; only 12% of mothers were aware of rubella infection. District of residence and having knowledge of syphilis were predictors for rubella knowledge, while for syphilis knowledge, significant predictors were age group, occupation, and those having knowledge on HIV and rubella. Predictors for HIV knowledge were residential district, having a mobile phone, and those having knowledge of syphilis and rubella. Conclusions. This study confirmed that mothers have low overall knowledge on MTCT infections. To achieve the MTCT elimination goals, targeted interventions to improve knowledge among women of childbearing age are recommended.

Introduction Maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality are still a public health concern in most sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries including Tanzania. Among the strategies implemented to reduce maternal mortality rate and neonatal mortality rate and improve outcomes of mothers and newborn babies including universal coverage of quality antenatal care. However the quality of care given to ANC attendees is of great concern in developing countries. This study aimed to provide information on the proportion of pregnant women who were attending for routine ANC at Majengo and Pasua health centres that were tested for HIV, syphilis and Hb. Methods A cross sectional study was conducted in October 2013 -March 2014. Pregnant women in their 3 rd trimester who were attending for routine antenatal care at Pasua and Majengo health centres were enrolled. Interviews were done to determine if women were tested for the 3 tests mentioned in earlier pregnancy, prior to the study followed by clinical examination and blood sample collection to test for HIV, syphilis and Hb. Data were entered and analysed by using SPSS. Results A total of 536 women were enrolled. Despite being in the third trimester and had attended for routine antenatal care several times, the majority of pregnant women were not screened for syphilis (89.4%), (28.6%) were not screened for haemoglobin level and only 1% reported not to be screened for HIV. Three hundred and sixty three participants (87.9%) reported to have received iron supplement. Conclusion Syphilis is forgotten and not given the same priority as HIV in pregnant population. Strategies are required to improve its screening as it is the leading cause of stillbirths and perinatal deaths in developing countries like Tanzania Disclosure of interest statement Authors declare there is no conflict of interest.