Digital interventions on Maternal & Child Health Services
Funder: The Right Foundation
Prime Implementor: Compelling Works
Project Period: 11/2023 - 08/2024
Country: Uganda
Study Title: The impact of digital health technologies on the delivery of maternal and child health outcomes. A case study of Uganda
Maternal and Child Health is still one of the top agenda items for public health professionals as the world works towards achieving a global reduction of maternal deaths to less than 90 per 100,000 live births and infant mortality of 25 or fewer per 1,000 live births. The global burden of maternal and child mortality is mainly attributed to low-income countries. Uganda as a country still has a high MMR standing at 189/100,000 live births and infant mortality of 34/1,000 live births (UDHS, 2022). The focus of public health is to create behavioral changes to improve health outcomes and as such the Ministry of Health in Uganda adopted the FamilyConnect application as a behavioral change tool that sends mothers or their caregivers targeted messages about Antenatal care, postnatal care, and child care including identification of danger signs during pregnancy and the first 1,000 days after childbirth. The application has so far been implemented in 42 districts in the country and the research is assessing the extent to which the application is influencing behavior change in the districts where it is implemented and thus contributing to the delivery of MCH services and control of infectious diseases.
Overall Objectives:
The overall objective of this study is to assess the extent to which Family Connect is influencing behavioral change towards improved uptake of Maternal and Child Health (MCH) services, prevention and control of infectious diseases, and the contextual factors contributing to its success
Specific Objectives
Assess the changes in attendance rates for antenatal care and other essential Maternal and Child Health (MCH) services before and after the implementation of the Family Connect program.
Assess changes in the prevalence of key infectious diseases within communities using the FamilyConnect app.
Assess the success factors and barriers associated with the implementation of FamilyConnect for insights into program effectiveness.
Evaluate the perceptions of community members, healthcare providers, and other stakeholders regarding the Family Connect program to inform opportunities for program optimization and expanded uptake in communities.
Key Activities:
This is a research study project involving Data collection, data analysis, and presentation of study findings. The findings of the study will be documented in a detailed report and also in manuscript format for publication.
Results/Impact (Achieved /anticipated):
The study anticipates generating evidence on the impact of the digital health tool on the uptake of MCH services and the control of infectious diseases. The study will also identify enablers and barriers to the implementation of digital health tools plus the contextual factors influencing program success. Furthermore, the study will document the perceptions and attitudes of stakeholders towards the use of digital health technologies.
