Uptake of Intermittent Preventive Therapy Among Pregnant Women Living in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: a Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Intermittent preventive therapy (IPTp) using sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) is a key component of malaria prevention strategy in pregnant women. A pregnant woman is required to receive at least 3 doses of SP during her pregnancy, with each dose being given at least 1 month apart, starting the first dose in the earliest second trimester of pregnancy. Therefore, a descriptive cross-sectional study was designed to assess the knowledge and uptake of IPTp-SP among pregnant women living in low malaria prevalent region. The questionnaires were used to collect data on sociodemographic characteristics, obstetric history, and knowledge scale while information about SP use was extracted from antenatal clinic cards. Overall, 389 pregnant women with a mean age (± standard deviation) of 29 years (5.3) participated in the study where majority of them (80.7%) were married. Majority of the study participants (77.1%) were in the third trimester of pregnancy and multigravida (42.9%). Of 389, 37 (9.5%), 288 (74%), and 64 (16.5%) were found to have low, moderate, and high level of knowledge about the use of IPTp-SP respectively. Of 300 pregnant women who were in the third trimester, 37 (12.3%) did not take SP at all while 109 (36.3%), 61 (20.3%), and 93 (31%) had taken a single, two doses, three, or more SP doses respectively. Although majority of pregnant women had moderate to high level of knowledge about the use of IPTp-SP, but only one third of pregnant women did take three or more IPTp-SP doses.