Factors influencing access to electronic government information and e-government adoption in selected districts of Tanzania

E-government is a means of improving provision of government information and services to citizens. The aim of this study was to investigate the current situation and factors influencing access of e-government information and e-government adoption in Tanzania. A triangulation approach for data gathering was adopted. Specifically, a semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 448 respondents. In addition, interviews involving five policy makers were conducted to complement the questionnaire survey. Factor analyses were performed and multiple linear regression analyses were carried out to assess the relationships between variables. The findings revealed that, the current state of e-government in the selected districts of Tanzania is characterized by web presence stage. Various enhancing factors and challenges for e-government were noted in this study. The enhancing factors include necessary knowledge, necessary resources, awareness, confidence to use the website, availability and reliability of internet connections, positive incentives that have resulted from using the internet to search for government information, and getting information on demand. Other enhancing factors are guidance for internet use, possession of ICTs, availability of up-to-date information in the website, education, income and social influence. There are some e-government adoption barriers that include worrying about security and privacy of information, lack of support from the government, unreliable power supply, inaccessibility of internet services due to geographical locations, and people not getting as much information about the services as possible. Other barriers are system quality, cultural barriers, age, and information content produced in English, which is a language that the majority do not understand. The study has implications for policy makers and to e-government project teams. Policy makers should consider e-government adoption barriers in order to formulate policies of eliminating them. Likewise, e-government project teams should consider these barriers in order overcome them before the implementation of e-government systems.Information ScienceD. Litt et. Phil. (Information Science

The Effect of Depressive Symptoms and CD4 Count on Adherence to Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy in Sub-Saharan Africa

Background: Studies have identified several programmatic and nonprogrammatic indicators that affect adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Depression has been shown to impact adherence to HAART. This cross-sectional analysis of data collected from Nigeria, Uganda, Zambia, and Tanzania in 2008 examined the relationship between levels of depressive symptoms, clinical progression, and adherence to HAART. Methods: A multinational, multicenter, observational, retrospective cross-sectional evaluation of a population of focus comprised randomly selected patients on HAART. The dependent variable was adherence to HAART. The primary variable of interest to be assessed was patients’ level of depressive symptom score. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to examine the relationship between explanatory variables and adherence to HAART. Results: A total of 2344 patients were recruited for adherence survey. About 70% of the study sample reported having some level of depression. Logistic regression results show that patients who reported, respectively, low, moderate, and high levels of depressive symptoms are 35% ( P 200 cells/mm 3 , Truvada (tenofovir [TDF]/emtricitabine [FTC])-based regimens, good knowledge about HAART, and longer period on therapy. Conclusions: These results indicate that mental health and clinical parameters are significant factors in determining patients’ adherence to their HAART, which need to be more aggressively addressed as a critical component of care and treatment support