Essential Coaching for Every Mother Tanzania (ECEM-TZ): Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial
Author Information
Author(s): Amy Schwartz, Jesper Nielsen, Justine Dol, Lilian Teddy Mselle, Marsha Campbell-Yeo, Columba Mbekenga, Thecla Kohi, Douglas McMillan, Cindy-Lee Dennis, Gail Tomblin Murphy, Megan Aston
Primary Institution: Dalhousie University
Hypothesis
Mothers who receive ECEM-TZ will have higher levels of newborn care knowledge and self-efficacy compared to those who receive standard postpartum care.
Conclusion
This study will generate evidence about the effectiveness of implementing text messaging during the early postnatal period in Tanzania.
Supporting Evidence
- Mobile health interventions can improve maternal and newborn health outcomes.
- Text messaging provides timely education to mothers during the critical postnatal period.
- Previous studies have shown that mothers often lack sufficient education on newborn care.
Takeaway
This study is testing a program that sends text messages to new mothers in Tanzania to help them learn how to care for their newborns better.
Methodology
A hybrid type 1 randomized controlled trial comparing a text message intervention to standard care among mothers recruited from two hospitals.
Potential Biases
Blinding is not possible for mothers, which may introduce bias in self-reported outcomes.
Limitations
Participants were recruited immediately after giving birth, which may influence who participates, and the study cannot track message read status.
Participant Demographics
Mothers aged over 18 who recently gave birth and can read English or Kiswahili.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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