Exploring Health Support Services For Pregnant And Mothering Students In Higher Learning Institutions In Dodoma City

ABSTRACT

The study aimed at exploring support services for Pregnant and Mothering Students in Higher Learning Institutions in Dodoma City. The main objective of the study was to explore support services for Pregnant and Mothering Students in Higher Learning Institutions in Dodoma City by using the specific objectives namely; firstly was to investigate the health services provided to pregnant and mothering students in Higher learning institutions; to investigate challenges facing pregnant and mothering students in Higher learning institutions and thirdly to determine the special considerations provided to pregnant and mothering students in Higher learning institutions. Survey questionnaires, observation, interview and focus group discussion methods were used for data collection by using supported by personal overt ethnography. The data analysis used by using an Excel and Statistical and Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 20 version) was used to analyze the data. The number of sample size used during the data collection was 85 respondents during the data collection in the study area. The findings revealed that there were challenges of pregnant and mothering students in higher learning institutions some namely: poor health education and economic factors, poor policies, poor by laws, poor clinical services, lack of proper guiding and counseling and poor health care systems, few medical facilities, no hospital referral services, and lack of antenatal care and bad enough there is no health personnel at the time of admission for introducing awareness of reproductive health education. The study concludes that there was a poor supporting service for pregnant and mothering students at higher learning institutions. Further, the study recommends that the changes of mind set by educating the pregnant and mothering students, female and male students, institutions, government leaders and all education stakeholders to understand the importance and improve the supporting services at higher learning institutions.