Background Mens’attendance with their pregnant partners at facility-based antenatal care (ANC) visits is important for maternal and child health and gender equality yet remains uncommon in parts of rural Tanzania. This study examined men’s perspectives on attending ANC with their pregnant partners in Misungwi District, Tanzania. Methods Twelve individual interviews and five focus group discussions were conducted using semi-structured questionnaires with fathers, expectant fathers, and in-depth interviews were done to health providers, volunteer community health workers, and village leaders. Interviews were recorded and transcribed in Swahili and later translated to English. The research team conducted thematic analysis to identify common themes among interviews. Results We identified two broad themes on the barriers to male attendance at facility-based ANC visits: (1) Perceived exclusion during ANC visits among men (2) Traditional gender norms resulting to low attendance among men. Conclusion Attendance at health facility for ANC visits by men with their pregnant partners in the study areas were challenged by structural and local cultural norms. At the facility men were uncomfortable to sit with women due to lack of specific waiting area for men and that they perceived to be neglected. Local cultural norms demanded women to have secrecy in pregnancy while men perceived not to have a role of being with their partners during ANC visits.

Background In 2017, roughly 540 women in Sub-Saharan Africa died every day from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. To stem this public-health crisis, the WHO recommends a standard continuity of maternal healthcare, yet most women do not receive this care. Surveys suggest that illiteracy limits the uptake of the recommended care, yet little is understood about why this is so. This gap in understanding why healthcare is not sought by illiterate women compromises the ability of public health experts and healthcare providers to provide culturally relevant policy and practice. This study consequently explores the lived experiences related to care-seeking by illiterate women of reproductive age in rural Tanzania to determine why they may not access maternal healthcare services. Methods An exploratory, qualitative study was conducted in four communities encompassing eight focus group discussions with 81 illiterate women, 13 in-depth interviews with illiterate women and seven key-informant interviews with members of these communities who have first-hand experience with the decisions made by women concerning maternal care. Interviews were conducted in the informant’s native language. The interviews were coded, then triangulated. Results Two themes emerged from the analysis: 1) a communication gap arising from a) the women’s inability to read public-health documents provided by health facilities, and b) healthcare providers speaking a language, Swahili, that these women do not understand, and 2) a dependency by these women on family and neighbors to negotiate these barriers. Notably, these women understood of the potential benefits of maternal healthcare. Conclusions These women knew they should receive maternal healthcare but could neither read the public-health messaging provided by the clinics nor understand the language of the healthcare providers. More health needs of this group could be met by developing a protocol for healthcare providers to determine who is illiterate, providing translation services for those unable to speak Swahili, and graphic public health messaging that does not require literacy. A failure to address the needs of this at-risk group will likely mean that they will continue to experience barriers to obtaining maternal care with detrimental health outcomes for both mothers and newborns.

Background Adolescent girls (10–19 years) are at increased risk of morbidity and mortality from pregnancy and childbirth complications, compared with older mothers. Low and middle-income countries, including Tanzania, bear the largest proportion of adolescent perinatal deaths. Few adolescent girls in Tanzania access antenatal care at health facilities, the reasons for which are poorly understood. Methods We conducted a qualitative thematic analysis study of the experiences of pregnant adolescents with accessing antenatal care in Misungwi district, Tanzania. We recruited 22 pregnant or parenting adolescent girls using purposive sampling, and conducted in-depth interviews (IDIs) about antenatal care experiences. IDI data were triangulated with data from eight focus group discussions (FGDs) involving young fathers and elder men/women, and nine key informant interviews (KIIs) conducted with local health care providers. FGDs, KIIs and IDIs were transcribed verbatim in Swahili. Transcripts were then translated to English and analysed using emergent thematic analysis. Results Four main themes emerged: 1) Lack of maternal personal autonomy, 2) Stigma and judgment, 3) Vulnerability to violence and abuse, and 4) Knowledge about antenatal care, and highlighted the complex power imbalance that underlies barriers and facilitators to care access at the individual, family/interpersonal, community, and health-systems levels, faced by pregnant adolescents in rural Tanzania. Conclusion Adolescent antenatal care-seeking is compromised by a complex power imbalance that involves financial dependence, lack of choice, lack of personal autonomy in decision making, experiences of social stigma, judgement, violence and abuse. Multi-level interventions are needed to empower adolescent girls, and to address policies and social constructs that may act as barriers, thereby, potentially reducing maternal morbidity and mortality in Tanzania.

Background: Adolescent girls (age 10-19 years) are at increased risk of morbidity and mortality due to pregnancy and childbirth complications, compared with older mothers. Low and middle-income countries, including Tanzania, bear the largest proportion of adolescent perinatal deaths globally. Most adolescent girls in Tanzania do not access antenatal care at health facilities, but the reasons for lack of antenatal care attendance are poorly understood. Methods: We conducted a qualitative thematic analysis study of the experiences of pregnant adolescents with accessing antenatal care in Misungwi district, Mwanza Region, Tanzania. We recruited 22 adolescent girls who were pregnant or parenting a child aged less than 5 years, using purposive sampling, and collected data about their lived experiences using in-depth individual interviews (IDIs). IDI data were triangulated with data from eight focus group discussions (FGDs) involving young fathers and elder men/women, and nine key informant interviews (KIIs) conducted with local health care providers. FGDs, KIIs and all but two IDIs were conducted and audiotaped in Swahili. All Swahili recordings were transcribed verbatim in Swahili. Two IDIs were conducted in local vernacular (Sukuma), and were transcribed into Swahili (as Sukuma is uncommon), by bilingual research assistants. All Swahili transcripts were then translated to English. A team of researchers analysed transcripts using emergent thematic analysis and constant comparison technique. Results: We identified four main themes: 1) Lack of maternal personal autonomy (Diminished power for decision making, Lack of financial and personal independence), 2) Stigma and judgment, 3) Vulnerability to violence and abuse, and 4) Knowledge about antenatal care. Conclusion: Pregnant adolescent care seeking for antenatal services is compromised by a complex power imbalance that involves financial dependence, lack of choice, lack of personal autonomy in decision making, experiences of social stigma, judgement, violence and abuse. Multi-level interventions are needed to empower adolescent girls, and to address policies and social constructs that may contribute to observed power imbalance; addressing these barriers can improve access to antenatal care among pregnant adolescents, and potentially reduce maternal morbidity and mortality.

Background Evidence has shown that male involvement is associated with improved maternal health outcomes. In rural Tanzania, men are the main decision makers and may determine women’s access to health services and ultimately their health outcomes. Despite efforts geared towards enhancing male participation in maternal health care, their involvement in antenatal care (ANC) remains low. One barrier that impacts men’s participation is the fear and experience of social stigma. This study, builds on previous findings about men’s perspectives in attending antenatal care appointments in Misungwi district in Tanzania, examining more closely the fear of social stigma amongst men attending ANC together with their partners. Methods Twelve individual interviews and five focus group discussions were conducted using semi-structured questionnaires with fathers and expectant fathers. In-depth interviews were conducted with health providers, volunteer community health workers and village leaders. Interviews were audiotaped, and transcripts were transcribed and translated to English. Transcripts were organized in NVivo V.12 then analyzed using thematic approach. Results Three main themes were found to create fear of social stigma for men: 1. Fear of HIV testing; 2. Traditional Gender Norms and 3. Insecurity about family social and economic status. Conclusion Respondent’s experiences reveal that fear of social stigma is a major barrier to attend ANC services with their partners. Attention must be given to the complex sociocultural norms and social context that underly this issue at the community level. Strategies to address fear of social stigma require an understanding of the real reasons some men do not attend ANC and require community engagement of community health workers (CHWs), government officials and other stakeholders who understand the local context.

Background: Evidence have shown that male involvement is associated with improved maternal health outcomes. In rural Tanzania, men are the main decision makers and may determine women’s access to health services and ultimately their health outcomes. Despite efforts geared towards enhancing male participation in maternal health care, participation remains low; one barrier that impacts men’s participation is the fear and experience of social stigma. This study, built on previous findings about men’s perspectives in attending antenatal care appointments in Misungwi district in Tanzania, more closely examines the fear of social stigma among men attending maternal health services. Methods: A secondary analysis was conducted on data collected for a broader research study on male involvement in maternal services. We conducted twelve focus group discussions with males of reproductive age, and six in depth interviews with health care workers and village leaders. Interviews were audiotaped and transcripts were transcribed and translated to English. Transcripts were organized in NVivo V.12 then analyzed using thematic approach. Results: Three main themes were found to create fear of social stigma for men: 1. Fear of HIV testing; 2. Traditional Gender Norms and 3. Financial and material insecurity. Conclusion: Respondent’s experiences reveal that fear of social stigma is a major barrier to attend maternal services with their partners. Attention must be given to the complex sociocultural norms and social context that underly this issue at the community level. Strategies to address fear of social stigma require an understanding of the real reasons some men do not attend maternal services and require community engagement of community health workers (CHWs), government officials and other stakeholders who understand the local context.

Background: In 2017, an estimated 540 women in Sub-Saharan Africa died every day from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. To stem this public-health crisis, the WHO recommends a maternal and neonatal health continuity of patient care, yet most women do not meet this recommendation. Surveys suggest that illiteracy limits uptake of the proposed maternal-newborn package, yet little is known about the association between illiteracy and healthcare seeking, particularly in rural regions of low-income countries. This knowledge gap compromises the ability of public health experts and healthcare providers to provide culturally relevant policy and practice. To begin to address this gap this study explores the experiences related to care-seeking by illiterate, pregnant women in rural Tanzania.Methods: A qualitative study was conducted in four communities encompassing eight focus group discussions with 81 illiterate women, 13 interviews with illiterate women of reproductive age and seven interviews with members of these communities perceived to have some influence on women’s decisions concerning perinatal care services. Themes were coded and their relative importance determined using frequency reports and cross-tabulations. Findings: Three key themes emerged, illiterate women (1) could not read their healthcare cards or public health messaging; (2) spoke the local language, not Swahili, the language used by healthcare providers, and (3) have endeavored to develop coping strategies to overcome these obstacles. In addition, health service providers are often unaware of who is illiterate.Recommendations: More health needs of this group could be met, in the short term, by developing a protocol for health service providers to determine who is illiterate, providing translation services for those unable to speak Swahili, and graphic public health messaging that does not require literacy. In the long term, this barrier may be addressed by ensuring that all Tanzanians receive a high-quality, formal education, supporting community health workers, and recruiting healthcare providers from rural areas. A failure of to address the needs of this at-risk group will likely mean that they will continue to experience barriers to achieving the recommended continuity of patient care with detrimental health outcomes for both mothers and newborns.