Improving Maternal Nutrition in Tanzania. Introducing Multiple Micronutrient Supplements by strengthening health systems – A country-level implementation research study

In 2019, UNICEF launched the Improving Maternal Nutrition (IMAN) Project in collaboration with Tanzania Food and Nutrition Centre (TFNC). The IMAN Project aimed to strengthen the health system’s enabling environment for sustainable delivery of a low-cost, high-impact maternal nutrition package, including the promotion of healthy diets and uptake of IFA/MMS. The project addressed key barriers to service delivery, including human resource capacity, supply chain challenges and cultural and social norms. In particular, the implementation research study intended to generate new evidence to understand the barriers hindering IFA uptake and adherence before the country can shift to MMS utilization. The project aimed to understand if addressing those bottlenecks would increase both IFA and MMS adherence. Considering the added benefits of MMS, evidence of improved adherence would make it easier for Tanzania to opt to shift from IFA to MMS. The feasibility and potential impact of a modified care package will inform decision‐making and potential scale‐up of MMS in the Tanzanian context.