Providers’ Practices and Associated Factors in Educating Pregnant Women on the Prevention of Maternal Anemia During Antenatal Care Visits in Ujiji Municipality, Kigoma Region, Tanzania

TL;DR

This study examines how healthcare providers in Tanzania educate pregnant women about preventing anemia during antenatal care visits and finds that education is limited and inconsistent.

Contribution

The study identifies gaps in anemia education during antenatal care and highlights factors influencing provider practices in Ujiji Municipality.

Findings

Most participants (70.4%) received some anemia-related information during ANC visits.

Only 34.4% of pregnant women were informed of at least five anemia prevention topics.

Education on anemia prevention varied significantly across health facilities and individuals.

Abstract

Background: Anemia in pregnancy is among the preventable severe public health problems, responsible for around 14.5% of maternal mortality in Tanzania. Antenatal visits are among the pillars that aid in reducing the burden of anemia in pregnancy. However, there are discrepancies in adherence and performance across different domains of Antenatal care (ANC) by healthcare workers. Therefore, this study examined providers’ practices and associated factors in educating pregnant women on preventing maternal anemia during antenatal care visits in Kigoma and Ujiji Municipal Council in the Kigoma region. Methods: This was a cross-sectional design involving a total of 430 client exit interviews across 18 facilities. The association between the provision of maternal anemia education and other factors such as health facility level, age group, sex, economic activities, and ANC visitation was analyzed using multivariate logistic regression. p-values less than 0.05 were considered significant throughout the study. Results: The study revealed that most participants (70.4%) reported receiving anemia information during ANC visits. The most common topics were insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) (76%) and types of food to prevent anemia (74%), while 20.8% and 24.8% reported receiving information about worm infestation and deworming, respectively. Only 34.4% (95%CI: 26.5–43.3%) of pregnant women were informed of at least five topics. Conclusions: The study reveals limited education provision on anemia among pregnant women. There is a discrepancy in topic coverage among facilities and individuals.