Rose Mpembeni
Biographic Data
| ID | 6333804 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Rose Mpembeni |
| GIVEN NAMES | Rose |
| FAMILY NAME | Mpembeni |
| SIGNATURE | MPEMBENI R |
| AFFILIATIONS | Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-3916-2790 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 25 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 2 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 25 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2014 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Adherence to National Standard Treatment Guidelines in the management of hypertension and associated factors among healthcare providers at public district hospitals in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Hypertension affects 15–25% of adults in Tanzania, yet fewer than 30% of treated patients achieve blood pressure control. Poor control contributes to stroke, heart failure, and renal disease. The National Standard Treatment Guidelines (NSTGs), 6th edition (2021), provide guidance for management, but healthcare provider adherence to the guidelines remains unclear. A mixed-methods cross-sectional study was conducted at five public district hospital…
Neonatal resuscitation skills retention among healthcare providers one year after implementation of in situ low-dose high-frequency simulations using innovative tools across two regions in Tanzania
Background The Safer Births Bundle of Care (SBBC) was introduced in five regions in Tanzania to improve the quality of care around birth. Among the interventions was an initiative to train healthcare providers on neonatal resuscitation following the Helping Babies Breathe curriculum, using innovative simulation tools.Objectives This study aimed to assess simulated neonatal resuscitation skills retention and associated factors one year after imple…
“Any time because I am ready”
Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is still a major global public health problem. Sub-Saharan Africa remains the most severely affected, accounting for 69% of the people living with HIV worldwide. Currently, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis [PrEP] pills are offered but are highly affected by non-adherence. Long-acting injectable PrEP has the potential to improve adherence. Objective: This study aimed to explore awareness and willingness to us…
Acceptability Among Healthcare Providers of In Situ, Low-Dose, High-Frequency Neonatal Resuscitation Simulation Training Using Innovative Tools
Introduction : Newborn mortality is unacceptably high, especially in low- and middle-income countries. The Safer Births Bundle of Care (SBBC) was implemented in Tanzania, including training of healthcare workers on neonatal resuscitation by means of frequent in situ simulation training using improved training tools. We aimed to assess the acceptability of this training model among healthcare providers in selected health facilities under SBBC inte…
Food and nutrient intake among non-pregnant, non-lactating women of reproductive age of Mbeya in Tanzania
Micronutrient deficiencies can hurt the health of women of reproductive age (WRA), their pregnancy outcomes, and the growth and development of their offspring in sub-Saharan African countries. The present study aimed to estimate the dietary intake of non-pregnant and non-lactating (NPNL) WRA, residing in seven districts of the Mbeya region in Tanzania using a 24-hour dietary recall. A cross sectional study was conducted among 500 NPNL WRA. A two-…
The readiness of malaria services and uptake of intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy in six sub-Saharan countries
Background: Malaria infection during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of maternal death, as well as adverse birth outcomes. Intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) is known to improve pregnancy outcomes. However, the coverage of IPTp-SP in antenatal care (ANC) in sub-Saharan Africa remains well below the target. This study aims to estimate to what extent malaria service readiness affec…
The role of community pharmacies in early detection of suspected Covid-19 cases in 2020
Tanzania reported its first COVID-19 case on 16 March 2020. We conducted event-based surveillance of COVID-19 suspect cases among pharmacy clients presenting with respiratory symptoms and influenza-like illness to increase early and rapid detection of COVID-19 cases and mitigate transmission. We conveniently sampled 103 pharmacies from Dar es Salaam, the epicentre for the COVID-19 pandemic in Tanzania at the time. Between 23 April 2020 and 18 May…
Knowledge, Implementation, and Gaps of Gender-Based Violence Management Guidelines among Health Care Workers
(1) Background: Gender-based violence (GBV) is widespread globally and has a myriad of adverse effects but is vastly under-reported. Health care workers are among the first responders in GBV. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge of health workers with regard to GBV and related management guidelines and implementation. (2) Methods: The study employed a descriptive, sequential mix-method study, beginning with the quantitative par…
Targeted and Population-Wide Interventions Are Needed to Address the Persistent Burden of Anemia among Women of Reproductive Age in Tanzania
Recent evidence suggests that 44.8% of women of reproductive age (WRA) in Tanzania suffer from anemia. Addressing this public health challenge calls for local evidence of its burden and determinants thereof for policy and tailored interventions. This secondary data analysis used Tanzania Demographic and Health Surveys (TDHS) 2004−2005 and 2015−2016 with a total of 23,203 WRA. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics to characterize the bur…
Knowledge, Experience and Perception of Gender-Based Violence Health Services
Many adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) experience gender-based violence (GBV) in Tanzania and only few seek GBV health services following violence. The objectives of our study are (1) to evaluate knowledge of gender-based violence among AGYW, (2) to explore their perceptions of and experiences with GBV health service quality and (3) to evaluate access to comprehensive GBV services. This study employed an explanatory, sequential mixed method…
Regional Disparities in the Decline of Anemia and Remaining Challenges among Children in Tanzania
The burden of child anemia is on the decline globally but remains prevalent in low- and middle-income countries, including Tanzania. Evidence suggests regional variation and a slow pace of decline even in areas with high food production. The factors behind such decline and remaining challenges behind child anemia remain understudied in Tanzania. This secondary data analysis utilized data including 7361 and 7828 children from the Tanzania Demograp…
Public knowledge of risk factors and warning signs for cardiovascular disease among young and middle-aged adults in rural Tanzania
Knowledge of risk factors and warning signs in this rural population of young and middle-aged adults was generally low. Health care providers were less likely to provide health education regarding risk factors and warning signs for CVDs. Health promotion interventions to increase population knowledge of risk factors and warning signs should be implemented for successful reduction of CVDs in Tanzania
Understanding client and provider perspectives of antenatal care service quality
Integrating Community Health Worker Roles to Improve Facility Delivery Utilization in Tanzania
Explaining progress towards Millennium Development Goal 4 for child survival in Tanzania
BACKGROUND: As one of several countries that pledged to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Mozambique sought to reduce child, neonatal, and maternal mortality by two thirds by 2015. This study examines the impact of Mozambique's efforts between 1997 and 2015, highlighting the increases in intervention coverage that contributed to saving the most lives. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of available household survey data was conducte…
Can volunteer community health workers manage multiple roles? An interrupted time-series analysis of combined HIV and maternal and child health promotion in Iringa, Tanzania
Community health workers (CHWs) play a critical role in health promotion, but their workload is often oriented around a single disease. Renewed interest in expansion of multipurpose CHWs to cover an integrated package of services must contend with the debate over how effectively CHWs can perform an increased range of tasks. In this study, we examine whether an existing cadre of HIV-focused paid volunteer CHWs in Iringa, Tanzania, can take on new …
Analysis of dropout across the continuum of maternal health care in Tanzania
The 'continuum of care' is proposed as a key framework for the delivery of maternal, neonatal and child health services. This study examined the extent of dropout as well as factors associated with retention across the MNCH continuum from antenatal care (ANC), through skilled birth attendance (SBA), to postnatal care (PNC).We analyzed data from 1931 women who delivered in the preceding 2-14 months, from a two-stage cluster sampling household surv…
Evaluation of a training program for health care workers to improve the quality of care for rape survivors
BACKGROUND: Sexual violence against women and children in Tanzania and globally is a human rights violation and a developmental challenge. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of training health professionals on rape management. The specific objectives were to evaluate the changes of knowledge and attitudes toward sexual violence among a selected population of health professionals at primary health care level. DESIGN: A quasi…
Community health workers can improve male involvement in maternal health
BACKGROUND: Male involvement in maternal health is recommended as one of the interventions to improve maternal and newborn health. There have been challenges in realising this action, partly due to the position of men in society and partly due to health system challenges in accommodating men. The aim of this study was therefore to evaluate the effect of Home Based Life Saving Skills training by community health workers on improving male involveme…
Birth prevalence of selected external structural birth defects at four hospitals in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 2011–2012
BACKGROUND: 94% of all birth defects (BD) and 95% of deaths due to the BD occur in low and middle income countries, many of which are preventable. In Tanzania, there is currently a paucity of BD data necessary to develop data informed prevention activities. METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted of deliveries identified with BD in the labor ward registers at four Dar es Salaam hospitals between October, 2011 and February, 2012. The bir…
A community-based intervention for improving health-seeking behavior among sexual violence survivors
BACKGROUND: Despite global recognition that sexual violence is a violation of human rights, evidence still shows it is a pervasive problem across all societies. Promising community intervention studies in the low- and middle-income countries are limited. OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the impact of a community-based intervention, focusing on improving the community's knowledge and reducing social acceptability of violence against women norms with…
Equally able, but unequally accepted
Male and female CHWs in this study have largely similar knowledge and health promotion outputs, but challenges in acceptance of CHW counseling for reproductive health and home visits by unaccompanied CHWs varied by gender. Programs that pair male and female CHWs may potentially overcome gender issues in CHW acceptance, especially if they change gender norms rather than solely accommodate gender preferences
Program synergies and social relations
While providers and pregnant women view program synergies from integrating HIV services into antenatal care positively, lack of supportive provider-patient relationships, lack of trust resulting from harsh treatment or breaches in confidentiality, and stigma still inhibit women's care seeking. As countries continue rollout of Option B+, social relations between patients and providers must be understood and addressed to ensure that integrated deli…
Knowledge and attitude towards rape and child sexual abuse – a community-based cross-sectional study in Rural Tanzania
Our study showed that these rural communities have poor knowledge on sexual violence and have accepting attitudes towards sexual violence. Increasing age and higher education were associated with better knowledge and less accepting attitudes towards sexual violence. The findings have potentially important implications for interventions aimed at preventing violence. The results highlight the challenges associated with changing attitudes towards se…
Health workers’ knowledge of and attitudes towards computer applications in rural African health facilities
BACKGROUND: The QUALMAT (Quality of Maternal and Prenatal Care: Bridging the Know-do Gap) project has introduced an electronic clinical decision support system (CDSS) for pre-natal and maternal care services in rural primary health facilities in Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Tanzania. OBJECTIVE: To report an assessment of health providers' computer knowledge, experience, and attitudes prior to the implementation of the QUALMAT electronic CDSS. DESIGN:…
Can volunteer community health workers manage multiple roles? An interrupted time-series analysis of combined HIV and maternal and child health promotion in Iringa, Tanzania
Community health workers (CHWs) play a critical role in health promotion, but their workload is often oriented around a single disease. Renewed interest in expansion of multipurpose CHWs to cover an integrated package of services must contend with the debate over how effectively CHWs can perform an increased range of tasks. In this study, we examine whether an existing cadre of HIV-focused paid volunteer CHWs in Iringa, Tanzania, can take on new …
Analysis of dropout across the continuum of maternal health care in Tanzania
The 'continuum of care' is proposed as a key framework for the delivery of maternal, neonatal and child health services. This study examined the extent of dropout as well as factors associated with retention across the MNCH continuum from antenatal care (ANC), through skilled birth attendance (SBA), to postnatal care (PNC).We analyzed data from 1931 women who delivered in the preceding 2-14 months, from a two-stage cluster sampling household surv…
Health workers’ knowledge of and attitudes towards computer applications in rural African health facilities
BACKGROUND: The QUALMAT (Quality of Maternal and Prenatal Care: Bridging the Know-do Gap) project has introduced an electronic clinical decision support system (CDSS) for pre-natal and maternal care services in rural primary health facilities in Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Tanzania. OBJECTIVE: To report an assessment of health providers' computer knowledge, experience, and attitudes prior to the implementation of the QUALMAT electronic CDSS. DESIGN:…
Birth prevalence of selected external structural birth defects at four hospitals in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 2011–2012
BACKGROUND: 94% of all birth defects (BD) and 95% of deaths due to the BD occur in low and middle income countries, many of which are preventable. In Tanzania, there is currently a paucity of BD data necessary to develop data informed prevention activities. METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted of deliveries identified with BD in the labor ward registers at four Dar es Salaam hospitals between October, 2011 and February, 2012. The bir…
A community-based intervention for improving health-seeking behavior among sexual violence survivors
BACKGROUND: Despite global recognition that sexual violence is a violation of human rights, evidence still shows it is a pervasive problem across all societies. Promising community intervention studies in the low- and middle-income countries are limited. OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the impact of a community-based intervention, focusing on improving the community's knowledge and reducing social acceptability of violence against women norms with…
Equally able, but unequally accepted
Male and female CHWs in this study have largely similar knowledge and health promotion outputs, but challenges in acceptance of CHW counseling for reproductive health and home visits by unaccompanied CHWs varied by gender. Programs that pair male and female CHWs may potentially overcome gender issues in CHW acceptance, especially if they change gender norms rather than solely accommodate gender preferences
Program synergies and social relations
While providers and pregnant women view program synergies from integrating HIV services into antenatal care positively, lack of supportive provider-patient relationships, lack of trust resulting from harsh treatment or breaches in confidentiality, and stigma still inhibit women's care seeking. As countries continue rollout of Option B+, social relations between patients and providers must be understood and addressed to ensure that integrated deli…
Knowledge and attitude towards rape and child sexual abuse – a community-based cross-sectional study in Rural Tanzania
Our study showed that these rural communities have poor knowledge on sexual violence and have accepting attitudes towards sexual violence. Increasing age and higher education were associated with better knowledge and less accepting attitudes towards sexual violence. The findings have potentially important implications for interventions aimed at preventing violence. The results highlight the challenges associated with changing attitudes towards se…
Evaluation of a training program for health care workers to improve the quality of care for rape survivors
BACKGROUND: Sexual violence against women and children in Tanzania and globally is a human rights violation and a developmental challenge. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of training health professionals on rape management. The specific objectives were to evaluate the changes of knowledge and attitudes toward sexual violence among a selected population of health professionals at primary health care level. DESIGN: A quasi…
Community health workers can improve male involvement in maternal health
BACKGROUND: Male involvement in maternal health is recommended as one of the interventions to improve maternal and newborn health. There have been challenges in realising this action, partly due to the position of men in society and partly due to health system challenges in accommodating men. The aim of this study was therefore to evaluate the effect of Home Based Life Saving Skills training by community health workers on improving male involveme…
Analysis of dropout across the continuum of maternal health care in Tanzania
The 'continuum of care' is proposed as a key framework for the delivery of maternal, neonatal and child health services. This study examined the extent of dropout as well as factors associated with retention across the MNCH continuum from antenatal care (ANC), through skilled birth attendance (SBA), to postnatal care (PNC).We analyzed data from 1931 women who delivered in the preceding 2-14 months, from a two-stage cluster sampling household surv…
Explaining progress towards Millennium Development Goal 4 for child survival in Tanzania
BACKGROUND: As one of several countries that pledged to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Mozambique sought to reduce child, neonatal, and maternal mortality by two thirds by 2015. This study examines the impact of Mozambique's efforts between 1997 and 2015, highlighting the increases in intervention coverage that contributed to saving the most lives. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of available household survey data was conducte…
Can volunteer community health workers manage multiple roles? An interrupted time-series analysis of combined HIV and maternal and child health promotion in Iringa, Tanzania
Community health workers (CHWs) play a critical role in health promotion, but their workload is often oriented around a single disease. Renewed interest in expansion of multipurpose CHWs to cover an integrated package of services must contend with the debate over how effectively CHWs can perform an increased range of tasks. In this study, we examine whether an existing cadre of HIV-focused paid volunteer CHWs in Iringa, Tanzania, can take on new …
Understanding client and provider perspectives of antenatal care service quality
Integrating Community Health Worker Roles to Improve Facility Delivery Utilization in Tanzania
Regional Disparities in the Decline of Anemia and Remaining Challenges among Children in Tanzania
The burden of child anemia is on the decline globally but remains prevalent in low- and middle-income countries, including Tanzania. Evidence suggests regional variation and a slow pace of decline even in areas with high food production. The factors behind such decline and remaining challenges behind child anemia remain understudied in Tanzania. This secondary data analysis utilized data including 7361 and 7828 children from the Tanzania Demograp…
Public knowledge of risk factors and warning signs for cardiovascular disease among young and middle-aged adults in rural Tanzania
Knowledge of risk factors and warning signs in this rural population of young and middle-aged adults was generally low. Health care providers were less likely to provide health education regarding risk factors and warning signs for CVDs. Health promotion interventions to increase population knowledge of risk factors and warning signs should be implemented for successful reduction of CVDs in Tanzania
Knowledge, Experience and Perception of Gender-Based Violence Health Services
Many adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) experience gender-based violence (GBV) in Tanzania and only few seek GBV health services following violence. The objectives of our study are (1) to evaluate knowledge of gender-based violence among AGYW, (2) to explore their perceptions of and experiences with GBV health service quality and (3) to evaluate access to comprehensive GBV services. This study employed an explanatory, sequential mixed method…
Targeted and Population-Wide Interventions Are Needed to Address the Persistent Burden of Anemia among Women of Reproductive Age in Tanzania
Recent evidence suggests that 44.8% of women of reproductive age (WRA) in Tanzania suffer from anemia. Addressing this public health challenge calls for local evidence of its burden and determinants thereof for policy and tailored interventions. This secondary data analysis used Tanzania Demographic and Health Surveys (TDHS) 2004−2005 and 2015−2016 with a total of 23,203 WRA. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics to characterize the bur…
The role of community pharmacies in early detection of suspected Covid-19 cases in 2020
Tanzania reported its first COVID-19 case on 16 March 2020. We conducted event-based surveillance of COVID-19 suspect cases among pharmacy clients presenting with respiratory symptoms and influenza-like illness to increase early and rapid detection of COVID-19 cases and mitigate transmission. We conveniently sampled 103 pharmacies from Dar es Salaam, the epicentre for the COVID-19 pandemic in Tanzania at the time. Between 23 April 2020 and 18 May…
Knowledge, Implementation, and Gaps of Gender-Based Violence Management Guidelines among Health Care Workers
(1) Background: Gender-based violence (GBV) is widespread globally and has a myriad of adverse effects but is vastly under-reported. Health care workers are among the first responders in GBV. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge of health workers with regard to GBV and related management guidelines and implementation. (2) Methods: The study employed a descriptive, sequential mix-method study, beginning with the quantitative par…
Food and nutrient intake among non-pregnant, non-lactating women of reproductive age of Mbeya in Tanzania
Micronutrient deficiencies can hurt the health of women of reproductive age (WRA), their pregnancy outcomes, and the growth and development of their offspring in sub-Saharan African countries. The present study aimed to estimate the dietary intake of non-pregnant and non-lactating (NPNL) WRA, residing in seven districts of the Mbeya region in Tanzania using a 24-hour dietary recall. A cross sectional study was conducted among 500 NPNL WRA. A two-…
The readiness of malaria services and uptake of intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy in six sub-Saharan countries
Background: Malaria infection during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of maternal death, as well as adverse birth outcomes. Intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) is known to improve pregnancy outcomes. However, the coverage of IPTp-SP in antenatal care (ANC) in sub-Saharan Africa remains well below the target. This study aims to estimate to what extent malaria service readiness affec…
“Any time because I am ready”
Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is still a major global public health problem. Sub-Saharan Africa remains the most severely affected, accounting for 69% of the people living with HIV worldwide. Currently, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis [PrEP] pills are offered but are highly affected by non-adherence. Long-acting injectable PrEP has the potential to improve adherence. Objective: This study aimed to explore awareness and willingness to us…
Acceptability Among Healthcare Providers of In Situ, Low-Dose, High-Frequency Neonatal Resuscitation Simulation Training Using Innovative Tools
Introduction : Newborn mortality is unacceptably high, especially in low- and middle-income countries. The Safer Births Bundle of Care (SBBC) was implemented in Tanzania, including training of healthcare workers on neonatal resuscitation by means of frequent in situ simulation training using improved training tools. We aimed to assess the acceptability of this training model among healthcare providers in selected health facilities under SBBC inte…
Adherence to National Standard Treatment Guidelines in the management of hypertension and associated factors among healthcare providers at public district hospitals in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Hypertension affects 15–25% of adults in Tanzania, yet fewer than 30% of treated patients achieve blood pressure control. Poor control contributes to stroke, heart failure, and renal disease. The National Standard Treatment Guidelines (NSTGs), 6th edition (2021), provide guidance for management, but healthcare provider adherence to the guidelines remains unclear. A mixed-methods cross-sectional study was conducted at five public district hospital…
Neonatal resuscitation skills retention among healthcare providers one year after implementation of in situ low-dose high-frequency simulations using innovative tools across two regions in Tanzania
Background The Safer Births Bundle of Care (SBBC) was introduced in five regions in Tanzania to improve the quality of care around birth. Among the interventions was an initiative to train healthcare providers on neonatal resuscitation following the Helping Babies Breathe curriculum, using innovative simulation tools.Objectives This study aimed to assess simulated neonatal resuscitation skills retention and associated factors one year after imple…
Medicine (23 works) · Tanzania (21 works) · Environmental health (20 works) · Nursing (18 works) · Global Maternal and Child Health (15 works) · Population (14 works) · Family medicine (10 works) · Geography (10 works) · Public health (10 works) · Socioeconomics (10 works)