Factors associated with health decision-making autonomy on own healthcare among Tanzanian women: A 2022–2023 demographic health survey study

Background: Women’s health decision-making autonomy is fundamental for the health and well-being of women and their children. It empowers women to make health decisions and exercise their rights and choices surrounding their health. Like most parts of Africa, women’s autonomy in Tanzania remains contentious, with an estimated 19% prevalence of health decision-making autonomy in 2015. Given the impact of women’s health decision-making autonomy on women’s health outcomes and the fact that women’s health decision-making autonomy is an ongoing process affected by advancements in technology, economic growth, and social and cultural shifts, understanding the sociodemographic correlates of women’s autonomy is imperative. Objective: To examine the factors associated with health decision-making autonomy on their own health among Tanzanian women aged 15–49. Methods: A non-experimental cross-sectional study using secondary data from the current Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey and Malaria Indicator Survey (TDHS-MIS) 2022–2023. The R statistical programming language was used to run the analysis. Chi-square and Ordinal Logistic Regression were fitted to identify the sociodemographic characteristics associated with women’s health decision-making autonomy on their own health. The odds ratio with its 95% confidence interval was used to determine the significance level at p-value