Voice-Based vs. Text-Based WhatsApp Messaging for Maternal Health Knowledge and Attitudes Among Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women in Abuja, Nigeria
Voice-Based vs. Text-Based WhatsApp Messaging for Maternal Health Knowledge and Attitudes Among Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women in Abuja, Nigeria: A Three-Arm Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial
This pilot randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate whether sending maternal health information via voice-based WhatsApp messages is more effective than text-based WhatsApp messages. The study enrolled 79 pregnant and breastfeeding women in Abuja, Nigeria, who were assigned to receive weekly voice messages, text messages, or standard care over an eight-week period. The primary goal is to determine if voice messaging produces greater improvements in maternal health knowledge and attitudes, which could offer a scalable, low-literacy-friendly tool to improve maternal health outcomes in Nigeria.
Aperçu de l'étude
Statut
Statut
Les conditions
Les conditions
Intervention / Traitement
Intervention / Traitement
Description détaillée
Maternal mortality remains unacceptably high in sub-Saharan Africa, and gaps in maternal health knowledge contribute to delayed care-seeking behavior. While mobile health (mHealth) interventions offer scalable solutions, evidence directly comparing voice-based and text-based delivery formats in African settings is lacking.
This three-arm pilot randomized controlled trial was designed to address this gap by evaluating the preliminary effectiveness of voice-based versus text-based WhatsApp messaging on maternal health knowledge and attitudes. The theoretical rationale for the intervention is grounded in media richness and social presence frameworks, which suggest that voice communication conveys paralinguistic cues and creates greater social presence than text alone, potentially reducing cognitive load for women with limited literacy.
Participants were randomized into three arms: voice-based WhatsApp messaging, text-based WhatsApp messaging, or a standard care control group. The intervention consisted of weekly maternal health messages delivered over an eight-week period. The educational content, adapted from WHO and UNICEF maternal health materials, covered topics including nutrition, danger signs, breastfeeding, and postnatal care. Messages were delivered by a trained research assistant via a WhatsApp broadcast list, with the voice arm receiving audio recordings and the text arm receiving written messages of equivalent content.
The primary objective is to determine if voice-based messaging results in greater improvements in maternal health knowledge and attitudes compared to text-based messaging and standard care. Secondary exploratory objectives include assessing changes in a binary knowledge battery. The results of this pilot trial are intended to establish preliminary effect sizes and inform the design of a definitive, multi-site randomized controlled trial to evaluate voice messaging at scale.
Type d'étude
Type d'étude
Inscription (Réel)
Inscription
Phase
Phase
- N'est pas applicable
Contacts et emplacements
Lieux d'étude
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Federal Capital Territory
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Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria, 11101
- Kuchingoro Primary Health Care Centre
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-
Critères de participation
Critère d'éligibilité
Critère d'éligibilité
Âges éligibles pour étudier
Accepte les volontaires sains
Sexes éligibles pour l'étude
La description
Inclusion Criteria:
Pregnant or breastfeeding women attending Kuchingoro Primary Health Care Centre.
Own a mobile phone with WhatsApp capability.
Willing to receive health messages over an eight-week period.
Able to provide informed consent.
Exclusion Criteria:
Inability to provide informed consent.
Any medical condition precluding participation.
Plan d'étude
Comment l'étude est-elle conçue ?
Détails de conception
- Objectif principal: Recherche sur les services de santé
- Répartition: Randomisé
- Modèle interventionnel: Affectation parallèle
- Masquage: Tripler
Nombre de bras
Armes et Interventions
Groupe de participants / BrasGroupe de participants / Bras |
Intervention / TraitementIntervention / Traitement |
|---|---|
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Expérimental: Voice-Based Messaging
Participants received weekly maternal health audio messages via WhatsApp for eight weeks. |
Participants received weekly maternal health written messages of equivalent content delivered over eight weeks via a WhatsApp broadcast list. Message content was adapted from WHO and UNICEF materials and covered nutrition, danger signs, breastfeeding, and postnatal care. |
|
Comparateur actif: Text-Based Messaging
Participants received weekly maternal health text messages via WhatsApp for eight weeks. |
Participants received weekly maternal health written messages of equivalent content delivered over eight weeks via a WhatsApp broadcast list. Message content was adapted from WHO and UNICEF materials and covered nutrition, danger signs, breastfeeding, and postnatal care. |
|
Aucune intervention: Standard Care
Participants received standard routine care at the health facility without the WhatsApp messaging intervention |
Que mesure l'étude ?
Principaux critères de jugement
Principaux critères de jugement
Mesure des résultats |
Description de la mesure |
Délai |
|---|---|---|
|
Maternal Health Knowledge Score (Scale b2)
Délai: Baseline (T0) and 8-week follow-up (T2)
|
Assessed using a Likert-type scale (Scale b2) to measure maternal health knowledge. Internal consistency was acceptable (α = .78 at baseline, .81 at follow-up). |
Baseline (T0) and 8-week follow-up (T2)
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Collaborateurs et enquêteurs
Parrainer
Parrainer
Publications et liens utiles
Dates d'enregistrement des études
Dates principales de l'étude
Début de l'étude (Réel)
Début de l'étude
Achèvement primaire (Réel)
Achèvement primaire
Achèvement de l'étude (Réel)
Achèvement de l'étude
Dates d'inscription aux études
Première soumission
Première soumission
Première soumission répondant aux critères de contrôle qualité
Première soumission répondant aux critères de contrôle qualité
Première publication (Réel)
Première publication
Mises à jour des dossiers d'étude
Dernière mise à jour publiée (Réel)
Dernière mise à jour publiée
Dernière mise à jour soumise répondant aux critères de contrôle qualité
Dernière mise à jour soumise répondant aux critères de contrôle qualité
Dernière vérification
Dernière vérification
Plus d'information
Termes liés à cette étude
Autres numéros d'identification d'étude
Autres numéros d'identification d'étude
- MIVA/REC/2026/0042
- MIVA/REC/2026/0042 (Identificateur de registre: MIVA Open University Research Ethics Committee)
- MIVA/REC/2026/0042 (Autre identifiant: MIVA Open University)
Plan pour les données individuelles des participants (IPD)
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Description du régime IPD
The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Type d'informations de prise en charge du partage d'IPD
- SÈVE
- ANALYTIC_CODE
Informations sur les médicaments et les dispositifs, documents d'étude
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