Characterising infant and young child feeding practices and the consumption of poultry products in rural Tanzania: A mixed methods approach
Suboptimal breastfeeding practices, early initiation of complementary feeding, and monotonous cereal-based diets have been implicated as contributors to continuing high rates of child undernutrition in sub-Saharan Africa. Nutrition-sensitive interventions, including agricultural programs that increase access to nutrient-rich vegetables, legumes, and animal-source foods, have the potential to achieve sustainable improvements in children’s diets. In the quest […]
A case study on building capacity to improve clinical mentoring and maternal child health in rural Tanzania: The path to implementation
Background: Tanzania is a low income, East African country with a severe shortage of human resources for health or health workers. This shortage threatens any gains the country is making in improving maternal health outcomes. This paper describes a partnership between Touch Foundation and NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing – Global, aimed at improving […]
Quality of emergency obstetric and newborn care services in Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia
Background: Globally, nearly 295,000 women die every year during and following pregnancy and childbirth. Emergency obstetric and newborn care (EmONC) can avert 75% of maternal mortality if all mothers get quality healthcare. Improving maternal health needs identification and addressing of barriers that limit access to quality maternal health services. Hence, this study aimed to assess […]
“Because even the person living with HIV/AIDS might need to make babies” – Perspectives on the drivers of feasibility and acceptability of an integrated community health worker model in Iringa, Tanzania
Background: Countries with health workforce shortages are increasingly turning to multipurpose community health workers (CHWs) to extend integrated services to the community-level. However, there may be tradeoffs with the number of tasks a CHW can effectively perform before quality and/or productivity decline. This qualitative study was conducted within an existing program in Iringa, Tanzania where […]
Unpacking the enabling factors for hand, cord and birth-surface hygiene in Zanzibar maternity units
Recent national surveys in The United Republic of Tanzania have revealed poor standards of hygiene at birth in facilities. As more women opt for institutional delivery, improving basic hygiene becomes an essential part of preventative strategies for reducing puerperal and newborn sepsis. Our collaborative research in Zanzibar provides an in-depth picture of the state of […]
“Why not bathe the baby today?”: A qualitative study of thermal care beliefs and practices in four African sites
Background: Recommendations for care in the first week of a newborn’s life include thermal care practices such as drying and wrapping, skin to skin contact, immediate breastfeeding and delayed bathing. This paper examines beliefs and practices related to neonatal thermal care in three African countries. Methods: Data were collected in the same way in each […]
Factors associated with changes in adequate antenatal care visits among pregnant women aged 15-49 years in Tanzania from 2004 to 2016
Background: Antenatal care (ANC) is crucial for the health of the mother and unborn child as it delivers highly effective health interventions that can prevent maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality. In 2002, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended a minimum of four ANC visits for a pregnant woman with a positive pregnancy during the […]
Cord blood hepcidin: Cross-sectional correlates and associations with anemia, malaria, and mortality in a tanzanian birth cohort study
Hepcidin, the master regulator of bioavailable iron, is a key mediator of anemia and also plays a central role in host defense against infection. We hypothesized that measuring hepcidin levels in cord blood could provide an early indication of interindividual differences in iron regulation with quantifiable implications for anemia, malaria, and mortality-related risk. Hepcidin concentrations […]
Using research to influence sexual and reproductive health practice and implementation in Sub-Saharan Africa: A case-study analysis
Background: Research institutions and donor organizations are giving growing attention to how research evidence is communicated to influence policy. In the area of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and HIV there is less weight given to understanding how evidence is successfully translated into practice. Policy issues in SRH can be controversial, influenced by political factors […]
Understanding factors associated with attending secondary school in Tanzania using household survey data
Background Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 aims to ensure inclusive and equitable access for all by 2030, leaving no one behind. One indicator selected to measure progress towards achievement is the participation rate of youth in education (SDG 4.3.1). Here we aim to understand drivers of school attendance using one country in East Africa as […]
