Table 2.

Discussion group and key informant questions

Topic	Discussion group and key informant questions
Definitions
Gestation	What is the normal length of pregnancy?
	How does a woman know when she is due?
Preterm birth	When is a baby born too soon?
	What if a woman has pains months before the due date?
Viability/neonatal mortality	What is the earliest age in pregnancy that a baby can survive?
	What is the lowest weight a baby can survive? What do most babies weigh if they are term? Preterm or born too soon?
Epidemiology, Etiology and Risk Association
Preterm birth prevalence	How common is preterm birth in Malawi?
	Do you know women who have had a baby born too soon?
Preterm birth etiology/explanatory models	What are causes of preterm birth?
	What are causes of early labor pains? Vaginal bleeding?
Oral health	What is usual tooth and oral health care?
	How do most women receive oral health care? In pregnancy?
Infrastructure and Access to Care
Antenatal care	When do most women come for antenatal care?
	Why do some women not come for antenatal care?
Preterm birth care	What can health facilities do if a woman presents with preterm contractions? Do women go to a health facility with preterm labor?
	Have you heard of medicines to make a baby’s lungs mature early (steroids) or ways to prevent PTB (progesterone or cerclage)?
	If available, how might women prefer to take a medication to prevent preterm birth (daily vaginal suppository versus weekly intramuscular injection)?
Delivery site	Where do women go first if they have preterm labor or bleeding?
	Where are women referred if they have preterm labor or need treatment because a baby is born too soon?
Openness and Acceptability of New Concepts or Potential Preventions/Interventions
New concepts	What if I told you that there was an association between preterm birth and oral health/gum/periodontal disease? Would you believe me?
New approaches	Would women in Malawi chew gum? Eat mints or candies?

In order to enable iterative data analysis, questions were followed up on in logical formats as new issues or evident need for clarification arose. Male and female interpreters fluent in Chichewa and English were utilized for both translation/interpretation during the discussions and interviews, and later with iterative analysis.