The impact of mobile voice messaging services in improving maternal, neonatal and child health
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN88968111 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN88968111 |
| Protocol serial number | Protocol No. HHS00009235 |
| Sponsor | FRHS |
| Funder | Johnson and Johnson |
- Submission date
- 15/08/2018
- Registration date
- 06/09/2018
- Last edited
- 04/06/2020
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Other
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
With the increasing use and ownership of mobile phones in developing countries, mHealth (the use of mobile phones in medical care) is being looked upon as an important tool to impact health outcomes such as in HIV care and treatment. In maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) services, text messages have been more widely used than voice messages to deliver mHealth services. Text messages have been used effectively for improving attendance and adherence to antenatal and postnatal care advice, resulting in a substantial increase in clients attending clinics. Additionally, text messages have been used to inform women about care needed during pregnancy, delivery preparedness, immunisation schedules and good breastfeeding practices. mHealth has tremendous potential to reach pregnant women, especially poor women who are more difficult to reach with traditional communication channels such as television, radio and newspapers. mHealth can reach targeted clients more frequently, resulting in better results than is feasible for the traditional media. This study aims to improve the health and wellbeing of pregnant women and their newborns and infants through age and stage-based messages delivered via mobile phone, through a program called mMitra.
Who can participate?
Pregnant women aged 18 or older, who can speak Hindi or Marathi, have access to a mobile phone at home and are likely to be in Mumbai for 4-5 months during the pregnancy and post-delivery period
What does the study involve?
Women will be randomly allocated to either the intervention or the control group. Both groups will have access to standard information and services, including community health workers and health providers, and TV, radio and posters. Women in the intervention group will also have access to mMitra voice messages with information around 2 times per week throughout pregnancy and until their child turns 1 year of age.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
There is no direct benefit to the participants. They will be given a small gift as a gesture of our appreciation for participating in this study. The information they provide will help us to understand how to improve health information delivery so women improve their own and their babies' health. All the women will receive routine health benefits from the health system. There are no known risks to participants taking part in the study.
Where is the study run from?
1. F North Ward, Mumbai (India)
2. N East Ward, Mumbai (India)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
March 2015 to January 2017
Who is funding the study?
Johnson & Johnson (USA)
Who is the main contact?
Dr Nirmala Murthy
Contact information
Scientific
G1, BRIGADE BUISNESS SUITES, JAYANAGAR 2nd BLOCK, 100 feet ROAD, T MARIAPPA ROAD
BANGALORE
560011
India
Scientific
G1, BRIGADE BUISNESS SUITES, JAYANAGAR 2nd BLOCK, 100 feet ROAD, T MARIAPPA ROAD
BANGALORE
570011
India
Study information
| Primary study design | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Study design | Interventional prospective cohort randomised controlled trial |
| Secondary study design | Randomised controlled trial |
| Study type | Participant information sheet |
| Scientific title | Mobile Health Technology Evaluation: Assessing mMitra impact on health outcomes |
| Study acronym | mMitra |
| Study objectives | The mobile messaging (mMitra) program will lead to improved: 1. Mother and infant care knowledge 2. Pregnancy and infant care practices 3. Maternal and infant health outcomes such as lower incidence of anemia during pregnancy, increased birth weight of newborn and decrease under-nutrition among infants |
| Ethics approval(s) | Foundation for Research in Health Systems (FRHS) IRB, 30/12/2014, Protocol No. HHS00009235. |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Maternal, neonatal and infant care knowledge and practice |
| Intervention | This study was designed as a randomised controlled trial in which a specified number of pregnant women from urban slum areas of Mumbai were enrolled in the study. These women were randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups to receive or not to receive mMitra messages and were followed until their newborns became one year of age. Prior to initiating the trial, baseline data was gathered from the women on selected awareness, behaviour, and the health outcome indicators that mMitra was seeking to improve. Three interviews were conducted with the same women, firstly at the baseline, and then within 2-3 weeks of childbirth and when the child turns one year of age. Both the control and intervention groups will have access to common sources of information, including community health workers and health providers, along with mass media such as TV, radio and posters. Women in the intervention arm also have access to mMitra messages, in addition to the other sources. Women in this group will receive voice messages at an average frequency of twice per week throughout pregnancy and until the infant turns 1 year old. |
| Intervention type | Device |
| Phase | |
| Drug / device / biological / vaccine name(s) | |
| Primary outcome measure(s) |
1. Reduction in anaemia (haemoglobin levels) during pregnancy, assessed using a review of records (MCH card) at the baseline, during each antenatal care (ANC) visit and immediately after delivery |
| Key secondary outcome measure(s) |
1. Number of antenatal care (ANC) visits, assessed through an interview with the mother following delivery |
| Completion date | 15/01/2017 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Healthy volunteer |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Lower age limit | 18 Years |
| Sex | Female |
| Target sample size at registration | 2000 |
| Total final enrolment | 2016 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. Pregnant women 2. Aged 18 years or older 3. Able to speak Hindi or Marathi 4. Access to a mobile phone at home |
| Key exclusion criteria | Unlikely to be in the same city for 4-5 months during the pregnancy and post-delivery period |
| Date of first enrolment | 01/06/2015 |
| Date of final enrolment | 30/10/2015 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- India
Study participating centre
Mumbai
400019
India
Results and Publications
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | Yes |
|---|---|
| IPD sharing plan summary | Available on request |
| IPD sharing plan | Individual data will be available without identifiers (e.g. name, location) as per the ethical committee approval, based on requests raised to admin@frhsindia.org. The data will be available by end of October 2018 for researchers and students for learning purposes only, as a soft copy. Publications, if any, to be done using this data should get prior permission from FRHS. Individual women have provided consent to participate in this study. |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results article | results | 01/12/2019 | 08/11/2019 | Yes | No |
| Results article | results | 01/06/2020 | 04/06/2020 | Yes | No |
| Participant information sheet | Participant information sheet | 11/11/2025 | 11/11/2025 | No | Yes |
Editorial Notes
04/06/2020: Publication reference added.
08/11/2019: Publication reference and total final enrolment number added.
