Abstract:
Introduction: in Tanzania, for the past decade,
there has been a rising trend of women with short
inter-pregnancy interval (IPI) (16% to 19%). Short IPI
is associated with poor maternal and neonatal
outcomes. We aimed to determine the factors
associated with short IPI among women attending
antenatal clinic (ANC) at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital,
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Methods: a cross sectional study was conducted in September 2018
at Mnazi Mmoja hospital among women receiving
ante-natal care. A total of 530 women were
included in the analysis. Analysis was conducted
through SPSS version 24 computer program descriptive analyses to determine the IPI and
characteristics thereof, and logistic regression
analysis to examine factors associated with IPI
among pregnant women. Associations with a p value < 0.05 were considered statistically
significant. Results: twenty-two percent of the
women attending ANC in Mnazi Mmoja hospital
had short IPI. Short IPI was associated with young
(<25years) age (AOR=2.67, 95% CI=1.23-5.79); non use of a contraceptive method (AOR=2.05,
95%CI=1.22-3.45); breastfeeding for less than 6
months (AOR=3.45, 95% CI=1.17-10.13) and having
an antecedent dead child at the time of index
conception (AOR=3.38, 95% CI=1.15-9.93).
Conclusion: about 1 in every 5 women attending
ANC in Dar es Salaam had a short IPI. Addressing
short IPI will complement the government´s efforts
to improve maternal indicators in Tanzania and
areas with similar contexts. Such efforts should
emphasize in adherence to recommended infant
feeding practices, women at a younger
reproductive age group, those with a history of
pregnancy loss, and strengthening contraception
use among women of reproductive age.
