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.
Studieöversikt
Status
Betingelser
Detaljerad beskrivning
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.
Studietyp
Inskrivning (Faktisk)
Fas
- Inte tillämpbar
Kontakter och platser
Studieorter
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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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Deltagandekriterier
Urvalskriterier
Åldrar som är berättigade till studier
Tar emot friska volontärer
Kön som är behöriga för studier
Beskrivning
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.
Studieplan
Hur är studien utformad?
Designdetaljer
- Primärt syfte: Hälsovårdsforskning
- Tilldelning: Randomiserad
- Interventionsmodell: Parallellt uppdrag
- Maskning: Trippel
Vapen och interventioner
Deltagargrupp / Arm |
Intervention / Behandling |
|---|---|
|
Experimentell: 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. |
|
Aktiv komparator: 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. |
|
Inget ingripande: Standard Care
Participants received standard routine care at the health facility without the WhatsApp messaging intervention |
Vad mäter studien?
Primära resultatmått
Resultatmått |
Åtgärdsbeskrivning |
Tidsram |
|---|---|---|
|
Maternal Health Knowledge Score (Scale b2)
Tidsram: Baseline (T0) and 8-week follow-up (T2)
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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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Studieavstämningsdatum
Studera stora datum
Studiestart (Faktisk)
Primärt slutförande (Faktisk)
Avslutad studie (Faktisk)
Studieregistreringsdatum
Först inskickad
Först inskickad som uppfyllde QC-kriterierna
Första postat (Faktisk)
Uppdateringar av studier
Senaste uppdatering publicerad (Faktisk)
Senaste inskickade uppdateringen som uppfyllde QC-kriterierna
Senast verifierad
Mer information
Termer relaterade till denna studie
Andra studie-ID-nummer
- MIVA/REC/2026/0042
- MIVA/REC/2026/0042 (Registeridentifierare: MIVA Open University Research Ethics Committee)
- MIVA/REC/2026/0042 (Annan identifierare: MIVA Open University)
Plan för individuella deltagardata (IPD)
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IPD-planbeskrivning
The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
IPD-delning som stöder informationstyp
- SAV
- ANALYTIC_CODE
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