Perceived changes in mothers’ outcomes following a pilot parenting program for couples with young children in Mwanza, Tanzania: A longitudinal qualitative study
- 1Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- 2Tanzania Home Economics Organization, Mwanza, Tanzania
Abstract
There is growing interest in engaging not only mothers but also fathers in parenting programs to improve nurturing care, psychosocial support, and early childhood development. However, few studies have explored how mothers perceive and benefit from participating in parenting interventions alongside their partners. This study explored mothers’ experiences during the pilot implementation of Familia Bora, a couples-based parenting program delivered in six communities in Mwanza, Tanzania (July-November 2024). In-depth interviews were conducted with mothers at baseline, midline, and endline using both random and purposive sampling. A total of 22 mothers participated in endline interviews, of whom 15 (68%) were purposively re-interviewed from the baseline sample to enable longitudinal qualitative analysis of perceived changes over time. Interviews explored mothers’ perceptions of changes in parenting practices, gender roles and attitudes, couples’ relationships, maternal mental health, and complementary feeding practices. Mothers commonly reported improvements across all domains. They described increased use of responsive caregiving and early learning activities, reduced harsh discipline, and improved nutrition knowledge and child feeding practices. Mothers also highlighted greater father involvement in childcare and more supportive couples’ relationship dynamics, which they perceived as reducing their caregiving burden and supporting their mental health. Overall, engaging fathers through couples-based parenting interventions may catalyze shifts within households that benefit mothers through improved caregiving practices, stronger partner relationships, and more nurturing family environments. These findings highlight the potential of father-inclusive parenting programs to support maternal, child, and family well-being.
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BibTeX
@article{lambert2026perceived,
title = {{Perceived changes in mothers’ outcomes following a pilot parenting program for couples with young children in Mwanza, Tanzania: A longitudinal qualitative study}},
author = {Valencia J. Lambert and Alina Bhojani and Gabriel Sangarara and Julieth Joseph and Nathan T. Yang and Damas Joachim and Joshua Jeong},
journal = {PLOS Global Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pgph.0006203},
url = {https://journals.plos.org/globalpublichealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgph.0006203},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Perceived changes in mothers’ outcomes following a pilot parenting program for couples with young children in Mwanza, Tanzania: A longitudinal qualitative study
AU - Valencia J. Lambert
AU - Alina Bhojani
AU - Gabriel Sangarara
AU - Julieth Joseph
AU - Nathan T. Yang
AU - Damas Joachim
AU - Joshua Jeong
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/06
JO - PLOS Global Public Health
DO - 10.1371/journal.pgph.0006203
UR - https://journals.plos.org/globalpublichealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgph.0006203
AB - There is growing interest in engaging not only mothers but also fathers in parenting programs to improve nurturing care, psychosocial support, and early childhood development. However, few studies have explored how mothers perceive and benefit from participating in parenting interventions alongside their partners. This study explored mothers’ experiences during the pilot implementation of Familia Bora, a couples-based parenting program delivered in six communities in Mwanza, Tanzania (July-November 2024). In-depth interviews were conducted with mothers at baseline, midline, and endline using both random and purposive sampling. A total of 22 mothers participated in endline interviews, of whom 15 (68%) were purposively re-interviewed from the baseline sample to enable longitudinal qualitative analysis of perceived changes over time. Interviews explored mothers’ perceptions of changes in parenting practices, gender roles and attitudes, couples’ relationships, maternal mental health, and complementary feeding practices. Mothers commonly reported improvements across all domains. They described increased use of responsive caregiving and early learning activities, reduced harsh discipline, and improved nutrition knowledge and child feeding practices. Mothers also highlighted greater father involvement in childcare and more supportive couples’ relationship dynamics, which they perceived as reducing their caregiving burden and supporting their mental health. Overall, engaging fathers through couples-based parenting interventions may catalyze shifts within households that benefit mothers through improved caregiving practices, stronger partner relationships, and more nurturing family environments. These findings highlight the potential of father-inclusive parenting programs to support maternal, child, and family well-being.
SN - 2767-3375
ER -