Browsing by Author "Mkuwa, Serafina"

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    Accessibility to sexual and reproductive health and rights education among marginalized youth in selected districts of Tanzania
    (Pan African Medical Journal, 2016) Ngilangwa, David Paul; Rajesh, Sharanya; Kawala, Mercy; Mbeba, Rita; Sambili, Benatus; Mkuwa, Serafina; Noronha, Rita; Nyagero, Josephat; Meremo, Al-fred Jackson
    Access to information, education and services is central in the promotion of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) among young people. It enables young people make informed choices on sexuality matters, hence reduce teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This study assessed accessibility of SRH rights information among marginalized young people in three municipalities of Iringa, Ilala and Kinondoni in Tanzania. A cross-sectional study design using mixed methods was conducted in 2013 in three selected districts of Tanzania. We randomly selected 398 young people including those with disabilities to partake in quantitative survey while 48 community members were purposely selected for qualitative part. Quantitative data analysis was done using descriptive statistics and chi square test with the assistance of the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 20, while qualitative data was thematically analyzed. There were 396 (99%) participants (144 Males and 251 females), with a mean age of 20.1years. The majority were out of school female, cohabiting and had completed secondary education. Overall, 317 (79.6%) had SRH rights knowledge. The leading sources of SRH rights information were peer educators (36.7%) and radio (22.8%). Awareness regarding laws and policies related to SRH right was 55.1%. However, young people living with HIV and school truants had more access to SRHR education and services than the other youth groups(χ2 30.69, p< 0.0001). The qualitative study revealed that parents and teachers perceived themselves to be incompetent in providing SRH information to their youngsters despite of being mostly trusted. Access to SRH rights information is high but decreases when it is disaggregated across different age groups. There is a need for diversified approach for reaching specific groups of young people depending on their needs and circumstances
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    Determinants of focused antenatal care utilization among women in Simiyu region Tanzania
    (Sage Publication, 2023) Ngowi, Agatha F.; Mkuwa, Serafina; Shirima, Laura; Ngalesoni, Frida; Frumence, Gasto
    Antenatal care (ANC) is a critical period for promoting the health of both mothers and babies. ANC visit is a key entry point for a pregnant woman to the health care system to receive health intervention. The new World Health Organization (WHO) guideline recommends eight ANC contacts. However, the coverage of at least four ANC visits is still low in the Simiyu region. To assess determinants of focused ANC visits utilization among women in the Simiyu Region Tanzania. The study employed a cross-sectional study among women of reproductive age. Data was collected through an interviewer-administered questionnaire and analyzed using Stata version 15. Data were summarized using mean and standard deviation for continuous variables while frequency and percentage were used for categorical variables. A generalized linear model, Poisson family, with a log link was used to identify determinants of focused ANC utilization. All 785 women analyzed reported having at least one ANC visit, with 259 (34%) having four or more visits and only 40 (5.1%) having eight or more visits. Women who made a self-decision were 30% less likely to complete four and more ANC visits than their counterparts (APR = 0.70; 95%CI = 0.501–0.978). Women who visited the dispensary were 27% less likely to complete four ANC visits than those who visited health centers (APR = 0.73; 95%CI = 0.540–0.982). However, education level and planned pregnancy were both marginally significantly associated with focused ANC utilisation. Generally, the majority of pregnant women in the Simiyu region do not adequately utilize four and more ANC visits. There is a need to enhance health education to women and their spouses on the importance of attending four or more visits and improving the quality of maternal health services to facilitate the utilization of ANC among women in the study area.