Misperception of peer beliefs reinforces inequitable gender norms among Tanzanian men.

Gender role ideology, i.e. beliefs about how genders should behave, is shaped by social learning.

Positive Correlation Between Women's Status and Intimate Partner Violence Suggests Violence Backlash in Mwanza, Tanzania.

Urbanization in low and middle-income nations is characterized by economic and demographic shifts largely understood to be beneficial to women's empowerment. These changes include increased education and wage-labor opportunities, a disruption of traditional patrilocal residence systems, and reductions in spousal age gap and fertility. However, such changes may drive a "violence backlash," with men increasing intimate partner violence (IPV) in efforts to challenge women's shifting status.

He for she? Variation and exaggeration in men's support for women's empowerment in northern Tanzania.

Achieving gender equality fundamentally requires a transfer of power from men to women. Yet data on men's support for women's empowerment (WE) remains scant and limited by reliance on self-report methodologies. Here, we examine men's support for WE as a sexual conflict trait, both via direct surveys ( = 590) and indirectly by asking men's wives ( = 317) to speculate on their husband's views.

Postpartum Contraception in Northern Tanzania: Patterns of Use, Relationship to Antenatal Intentions, and Impact of Antenatal Counseling.

In Tanzania, unmet need for contraception is high, particularly in the postpartum period. Contraceptive counseling during routine antenatal HIV testing could reach 97 percent of pregnant women with much-needed information, but requires an understanding of postpartum contraceptive use and its relationship to antenatal intentions. We conducted a baseline survey of reproductive behavior among 5,284 antenatal clients in Northern Tanzania, followed by an intervention offering contraceptive counseling to half the respondents.

Do accurate HIV and antiretroviral therapy knowledge, and previous testing experiences increase the uptake of HIV voluntary counselling and testing? Results from a cohort study in rural Tanzania.

Background: Despite the introduction of free antiretroviral therapy (ART), the use of voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) services remains persistently low in many African countries. This study investigates how prior experience of HIV and VCT, and knowledge about HIV and ART influence VCT use in rural Tanzania.

Methods: In 2006-7, VCT was offered to study participants during the fifth survey round of an HIV community cohort study that includes HIV testing for research purposes without results disclosure, and a questionnaire covering knowledge, attitudes and practices around HIV infection and HIV services.

The impact of antenatal HIV diagnosis on postpartum childbearing desires in northern Tanzania: a mixed methods study.

With the expansion of routine antenatal HIV testing, women are increasingly discovering they are HIV-positive during pregnancy. While several studies have examined the impact of HIV on childbearing in Africa, few have focused on the antenatal/postpartum period. Addressing this research gap will help tailor contraceptive counseling to HIV-positive women's needs.

Trends in HIV & syphilis prevalence and correlates of HIV infection: results from cross-sectional surveys among women attending ante-natal clinics in Northern Tanzania.

Background: Sentinel surveillance for HIV in ante-natal clinics (ANC) remains the primary method for collecting timely trend data on HIV prevalence in most of sub-Saharan Africa. We describe prevalence of HIV and syphilis infection and trends over time in HIV prevalence among women attending ante-natal clinics (ANC) in Magu district and Mwanza city, part of Mwanza region in Northern Tanzania. HIV prevalence from ANC surveys in 2000 and 2002 was 10.

Reproductive behaviour and HIV status of antenatal clients in northern Tanzania: opportunities for family planning and preventing mother-to-child transmission integration.

Objectives: To examine reproductive and contraceptive history and intentions by HIV status among women at antenatal clinics to help inform initiatives to integrate family planning into antenatal/preventing mother-to-child transmission services in Mwanza region, Tanzania.

Design: A questionnaire survey was carried out in antenatal clinics in Mwanza region, Tanzania in 2007-2008.

Methods: : We interviewed 5284 pregnant women attending 15 antenatal clinics offering HIV testing in Mwanza City and Magu district, northern Tanzania.

Verbal autopsy can consistently measure AIDS mortality: a validation study in Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

Background: Verbal autopsy is currently the only option for obtaining cause of death information in most populations with a widespread HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Methods: With the use of a data-driven algorithm, a set of criteria for classifying AIDS mortality was trained. Data from two longitudinal community studies in Tanzania and Zimbabwe were used, both of which have collected information on the HIV status of the population over a prolonged period and maintained a demographic surveillance system that collects information on cause of death through verbal autopsy.

Separation of spouses due to travel and living apart raises HIV risk in Tanzanian couples.

Background: Persons with absent partners may be more vulnerable to risky sexual behavior and therefore HIV. Partner absence can be due to traveling (e.g.

HIV prevalence and sexual behaviour changes measured in an antenatal clinic setting in northern Tanzania.

Objectives: To assess the feasibility of collecting sexual behaviour data during HIV surveillance in antenatal care (ANC) clinics, and to establish whether these data can provide information about the correlates of HIV infection in this population.

Methods: Sexual behaviour surveys were conducted in the context of two HIV sentinel surveillance rounds in 11 ANC clinics in north west Tanzania between 2000 and 2002. Responses of individual women were anonymously linked to their HIV status.