check 'serif'">Over the last decade a number of reviews have firmly established the burden of malaria in pregnancy as a priority public health issue. One intervention widely promoted to tackle this burden in malaria endemic areas in sub-Saharan Africa is intermittent preventive treatment for pregnant women (IPTp). Delivery of two doses of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria during pregnancy (IPTp) is a key strategy to reduce the burden of malaria in pregnancy in sub-Saharan Africa. However, troche different settings have reported coverage levels well below the target 80%. Antenatal implementation guidelines in Tanzania recommend IPTp first dose to be given at the second antenatal visit, case and second dose at the third visit. This investigation measured coverage of IPTp at national level in Tanzania and examined the role of individual, facility, and policy level influences on achieved coverage. Three national household and linked reproductive and child health (RCH) facility surveys were conducted July-August 2005, 2006, and 2007 in 210 clusters sampled using two-stage cluster sampling from 21 randomly selected districts. Female residents who reported a live birth in the previous year were asked questions about malaria prevention during that pregnancy and individual characteristics including education, pregnancy history, and marital status. The RCH facility serving each cluster was also surveyed, and information collected about drug stocks, health education delivery, and the timing of antenatal care delivery by clinic users. 

Tanya Marchant, Rose Nathan et al; 2008, 7:260 doi:10.1186/1475-2875-7-260