Intrauterine Device Use and Perceptions Among Women in Tanzania-A Mixed Methods Study.

Introduction: The intrauterine device (IUD) represents the most cost-effective, long-acting reversible form of contraception, but accounts for only 1% of all contraception methods used in Tanzania.

Objective: This study aims to determine the uptake of IUD use and investigate the perceptions, challenges, and recommendations surrounding the use of intrauterine devices among women of reproductive age in Tanzania.

Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted including 347 women, as well as qualitative semi-structured interviews with 11 women.

Neuropsychological tests associated with symptomatic HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND) in a cohort of older adults in Tanzania.

Objective: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND) prevalence is expected to increase in East Africa as treatment coverage increases, survival improves, and this population ages. This study aimed to better understand the current cognitive phenotype of this newly emergent population of older combination antiretroviral therapy (cART)-treated people living with HIV (PLWH), in which current screening measures lack accuracy. This will facilitate the refinement of HAND cognitive screening tools for this setting.

Patient and caregiver experiences of living with dementia in Tanzania.

Tanzania is a low-income country with an increasing prevalence of dementia, which provides challenges for the existing healthcare system. People with dementia often don't receive a formal diagnosis, and with a lack of formal healthcare, are often predominantly supported by family relatives. There are very few published data relating to lived experiences of people with dementia in Tanzania.

Tanzanian Nursing Students' Experiences of Student Exchange in Sweden-A Qualitative Case Study.

Introduction: Needs within healthcare are changing and nurses require new skills and knowledge in global nursing. Student exchange programs in global contexts provide an opportunity to develop the necessary skills.

Objective: The aim of this study was to describe Tanzanian nursing students' experiences of student exchange in Sweden.

Patient priority setting in HIV ageing research: exploring the feasibility of community engagement and involvement in Tanzania.

Objective: The chronic complications of ageing with HIV are not well studied in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) where general healthcare resources are limited. We aimed to collaborate with individuals living with HIV aged ≥ 50 years, and community elders (aged ≥ 60 years) living with non-communicable diseases in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania in a health research priority-setting exercise.

Methods: We conducted structured workshops based on broad questions to aid discussion and group-based patient priority setting, alongside discussion of the feasibility of future community research engagement.

The process of harmonizing competency-based curricula for medicine and nursing degree programmes: A Multi-institutional and multi-professional experience from Tanzania.

In many low- and middle-income countries, there seems to be a mismatch between graduate skills and healthcare industry requirements due to variability in curricula. With the current increased global demand for competent health profession graduates, harmonizing competency-based curricula (CBC) is necessary to address this mismatch. This paper describes how three health professions training universities in Tanzania and their two long-standing United States partners embarked on developing harmonized CBC for undergraduate medicine and nursing degrees.

Prevalence estimates of dementia in older adults in rural Kilimanjaro 2009-2010 and 2018-2019: is there evidence of changing prevalence?

Introduction: Although limited, existing epidemiological data on dementia in sub-Saharan Africa indicate that prevalence may be increasing; contrasting with recent decreases observed in high-income countries. We have previously reported the age-adjusted prevalence of dementia in rural Tanzania in 2009-2010 as 6.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] 4.

Does resilience moderate the effect of intimate partner violence on signs of depression among Tanzanian pregnant women: A cross-sectional study.

Introduction: Exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) has been found to be associated with a multitude of poor health and quality of life outcomes. Among the risks exacerbated by IPV is prenatal depression. Resilience is hypothesized to protect against psychopathology after exposure to a traumatic influence.

Effectiveness of App-Based Cognitive Screening for Dementia by Lay Health Workers in Low Resource Settings. A Validation and Feasibility Study in Rural Tanzania.

Background: The majority of people with dementia live in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) human-resource shortages in mental health and geriatric medicine are well recognized. Use of technological solutions may improve access to diagnosis.

The development of Maisha, a video-assisted counseling intervention to address HIV stigma at entry into antenatal care in Tanzania.

HIV stigma has a profound impact on clinical outcomes and undermines the quality of life of people living with HIV (PLWH). Among HIV-negative individuals, misinformation and prejudicial attitudes about HIV can fuel stigma and contribute to discrimination against PLWH. Antenatal care (ANC), with its focus on universal HIV testing, provides a unique entry point to address HIV stigma.

Nitrate-Rich Beetroot Juice Reduces Blood Pressure in Tanzanian Adults with Elevated Blood Pressure: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Feasibility Trial.

Background: In Sub-Saharan Africa, current strategies are struggling to control the burgeoning hypertension epidemic. Dietary interventions such as inorganic nitrate or folic acid supplementation could represent promising strategies for reducing blood pressure (BP) in this setting.

Objectives: This feasibility study explores the effects of dietary inorganic nitrate supplementation, alone or in combination with folic acid, on BP in Tanzanian adults with elevated BP in Tanzania.

Feasibility and acceptability of a nutritional intervention testing the effects of nitrate-rich beetroot juice and folic acid on blood pressure in Tanzanian adults with elevated blood pressure.

Sub-Saharan African countries are experiencing an alarming increase in hypertension prevalence. This study evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of nitrate-rich beetroot and folate supplementation, alone or combined, for the reduction of blood pressure (BP) in Tanzanian adults with elevated BP. This was a three-arm double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel randomised clinical trial.

HIV Community-Level Stigmatizing Attitudes in Tanzania: Perspectives from Antenatal Care.

Introduction: Stigma significantly impacts retention in HIV care and quality of life among people living with HIV. This study explored community-level HIV stigma from the perspective of patients and healthcare workers in antenatal care (ANC) in Moshi, Tanzania.

Methods: We conducted in-depth interviews with 32 women (20 living with HIV), key-informant interviews with 7 ANC clinic employees, and two focus group discussions with 13 community health workers.

A counseling intervention to address HIV stigma at entry into antenatal care in Tanzania (Maisha): study protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial.

Background: HIV-related stigma significantly impacts HIV care engagement, including in prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) programs. Maisha is a stigma-based counseling intervention delivered during the first antenatal care (ANC) visit, complementing routine HIV counseling and testing. The goal of Maisha is to promote readiness to initiate and sustain treatment among those who are HIV-positive, and to reduce HIV stigmatizing attitudes among those who test negative.

Effects of dietary nitrate and folate supplementation on blood pressure in hypertensive Tanzanians: Design and baseline characteristics of a feasibility trial.

Unlabelled: The burden of hypertension in Sub-Saharan African countries is rising. Low-cost and effective interventions are needed to mitigate these alarming trends. No evidence is available on the use of dietary nitrate for treating hypertension in African populations.

Intimate partner violence and subsequent premature termination of exclusive breastfeeding: A cohort study.

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine whether exposure to Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is associated with premature termination of Exclusive Breastfeeding (EB). Per WHO recommendations, this was defined as ceasing breastfeeding or supplementing with other foods or liquids before the child was 6 months old.

Method: It is a prospective cohort study set in Moshi, Tanzania consisting of 1128 pregnant women with live singleton births.

Conceptualization of depression amongst older adults in rural Tanzania: a qualitative study.

Background: Depression in older people is likely to become a growing global health problem with aging populations. Significant cultural variation exists in beliefs about depression (terminology, symptomatology, and treatments) but data from sub-Saharan Africa are minimal. Low-resource interventions for depression have been effective in low-income settings but cannot be utilized without accurate diagnosis.

Hypertension in a resource-limited setting: Is it associated with end organ damage in older adults in rural Tanzania?

Few data from sub-Saharan Africa exist on the effects of hypertension on the organs of the human body. We aimed to establish the prevalence of hypertensive end organ damage (EOD) in an elderly cohort of Tanzanians. The population aged 70 years and over of 2 villages in northern Tanzania (n = 246), had blood pressure (BP) data available from 2010 and 2013, and underwent in-depth follow-up for markers of hypertensive EOD in 2016.

The Association Between Intimate Partner Violence and Signs of Depression During Pregnancy in Kilimanjaro Region, Northern Tanzania.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) against pregnant women is common with severe health consequences to women and their babies. The aim of the present study is to measure the association between IPV and signs of depression among pregnant women attending antenatal care in a semi-urban setting in northern Tanzania. A cross-sectional study was conducted from March 1, 2014, to May 30, 2015, among pregnant women attending routine antenatal care in Moshi Municipality, Tanzania.

Stigma and functional disability in relation to marriage and employment in young people with epilepsy in rural Tanzania.

Purpose: To assess the impact of childhood epilepsy on social transitioning outcomes for young people with epilepsy (YPWE) living in Tanzania, and to explore influences on these outcomes.

Methods: At six years from baseline, we followed up 84 YPWE and 79 age- sex- and village- matched controls recruited into a case-control study of childhood epilepsy in rural northern Tanzania. Data were collected from interviews with young people and their carers using a structured questionnaire.

"We never speak about death." Healthcare professionals' views on palliative care for inpatients in Tanzania: A qualitative study.

Unlabelled: ABSTRACTObjective:Little is known about the current views and practices of healthcare professionals (HCPs) in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) regarding delivery of hospital palliative care. The present qualitative study explored the views of nursing staff and medical professionals on providing palliative and end-of-life care (EoLC) to hospital inpatients in Tanzania.

Method: Focus group discussions were conducted with a purposive sample of HCPs working on the medical and pediatric wards of the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre, a tertiary referral hospital in northern Tanzania.

Postpartum depression among women who have experienced intimate partner violence: A prospective cohort study at Moshi, Tanzania.

Background: Post-partum depression (PPD) in many low-income countries, including Tanzania, is not well recognized, and the underlying predictors and causes of PPD remain unclear. Results from previous studies suggest that PPD is associated with intimate partner violence (IPV) experienced during the perinatal period. In the present study, we assessed the relationship between IPV and PPD among women attending antenatal services in Tanzania.

Identifying Frailty and its Outcomes in Older People in Rural Tanzania.

Unlabelled: Background/Study Context: Interest in frailty is growing in low- and middle-income countries, due to demographic aging and resource limitations. However, there is a paucity of data on the nature of frailty in Africa.

Methods: The study collected frailty data from people aged 70 years and over living in six villages in the rural Hai District of northern Tanzania.

Social support and intimate partner violence during pregnancy among women attending antenatal care in Moshi Municipality, Northern Tanzania.

Background: Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a significant public health problem with negative health consequences for women and their pregnancies. While social support has a protective effect against IPV and reduces health consequences of violence, its association with experiencing IPV during pregnancy remain less explored. In our study we aimed to determine the effect of social support on IPV during pregnancy among women attending antenatal care in Moshi, Tanzania METHODS: The study was part of a prospective cohort study that assessed the impact of violence on reproductive health of 1,116 participants.