Essential Coaching for Every Mother: Developing and Evaluating a Text Message Postnatal Education Intervention for Mothers of Newborns in Tanzania
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Active, not recruiting
- Sponsor
- IWK Health Centre
- Enrollment
- 124
- Locations
- 2
- Primary Endpoint
- Newborn Care Knowledge
Study Overview
Brief Summary
The purpose of this study is to evaluate a text message intervention called Essential Coaching for Every Mother in Tanzania to improve mothers' access to essential newborn care information during the immediate six-week postnatal period.
Detailed Description
This is a 2-group parallel arm randomized controlled trial. Participants will be randomized into either the intervention or a control group. No changes to in-person care will occur.
This study will be conducted in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania with mothers recruited from a Tanzanian postnatal ward who have recently given birth at four different hospitals. Participants in the intervention group will start receiving the Essential Coaching for Every Mother program based on their delivery date up to six weeks postpartum. Mothers in the control group will not receive any text messages. Both groups will be asked to complete a survey at enrolment and six-weeks postpartum.
The investigators aim to recruitment 124 participants in total, 62 per group.
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Intervention Model
- Parallel
- Primary Purpose
- Supportive Care
- Masking
- Single (Care Provider)
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 18 Years to — (Adult, Older Adult)
- Sex
- Female
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria
- •have recently given birth within the hospital within 48 hours
- •have daily access to a mobile phone with text message capabilities
- •are over 18 years of age
- •speak and read English or Swahili.
Exclusion Criteria
- •newborns die or are expected to die prior to leaving the hospital
- •they have no access to mobile phone, either personal or shared
- •unwilling to receive text messages
- •decline to participate
- •are experiencing major postnatal complications expected to impact learning or ability to consent while in the hospital (e.g., postpartum hemorrhage, seizures)
- •participated in Phase I of this project.
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Newborn Care Knowledge
Time Frame: Baseline (enrolment), and six-weeks postpartum (follow-up)
Knowledge will be assessed using a modified questionnaire developed by McConnell and colleagues. Questions will determine whether mothers can identify danger signs, hand washing practices, cord care, newborn thermal care, and breastfeeding. A summative score will be created with a maximum of five points and a minimum of zero, where each point represents knowledge on the above postnatal health topics.
Secondary Outcomes
- Maternal Self-Efficacy(Baseline (enrolment), and six-weeks postpartum (follow-up))
- Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy(Baseline (enrolment), and six-weeks postpartum (follow-up))
- Postpartum Depression(Baseline (enrolment), and six-weeks postpartum (follow-up))
- Postpartum Anxiety(Baseline (enrolment), and six-weeks postpartum (follow-up))
- Newborn morbidity(Six-weeks postpartum (follow-up))
- Newborn mortality(Six-weeks postpartum (follow-up))
- Need for readmission(Six-weeks postpartum (follow-up))
- Postnatal Clinic Attendance(Six-weeks postpartum (follow-up))
Investigators
Justine Dol
Principal Investigator
Unity Health Toronto