Division of Social Science, New York University (AD), Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Department of Sociology, School of Arts, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
PLoS One. 2023 Sep 14;18(9):e0288089. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0288089. eCollection 2023.
There is increasing evidence that digital technologies such as mobile phones have the potential to shape some of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such as health, education, and nutrition, even among the most resource-deprived countries and communities in the world. Nonetheless, little research has focused on the intergenerational implications of digital technologies for infant health and wellbeing. This study leverages Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data from 29 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to explore associations between mothers' ownership of mobile phones and their children's health at birth, as measured by birth weight and low birth weight (LBW), i.e., weight lower than 2,500 grams. Infants born to women owning mobile phones fare consistently better in terms of birth weight, even after accounting for potential socioeconomic confounders and other sources of media or information in the household. Partly, mechanisms are consistent with the idea of broader knowledge and access to healthcare services, as associations are mediated by a higher number of antenatal visits, higher likelihood of having a birth assisted by a health professional, and by the extent to which mothers hear about family planning by text message. Associations are strongest among low-educated mothers. Also, associations are stronger in countries where infant health is poorer yet mobile-phone diffusion is higher, highlighting the comparatively higher potential of the diffusion of mobile phones for global development in poorest contexts. Our findings may be of interest to scholars and policymakers concerned with identifying relatively cheap policy levers to promote global health and wellbeing in disadvantaged contexts, particularly among women.
越来越多的证据表明，移动电话等数字技术有可能影响联合国可持续发展目标中的一些目标，如卫生、教育和营养，即使是在世界上资源最匮乏的国家和社区也是如此。尽管如此，很少有研究关注数字技术对婴儿健康和福利的代际影响。本研究利用来自 29 个低收入和中等收入国家（LMICs）的人口与健康调查（DHS）数据，探讨了母亲拥有移动电话与儿童出生时健康状况（以出生体重和低出生体重（LBW）衡量，即体重低于 2500 克）之间的关联。与母亲拥有移动电话的婴儿相比，出生体重普遍更好，即使考虑到潜在的社会经济混杂因素以及家庭中其他媒体或信息来源也是如此。部分机制与更广泛的知识和获得医疗服务的机会的想法一致，因为这些关联是通过更多的产前检查、更高的由专业卫生人员协助分娩的可能性以及母亲通过短信了解计划生育的程度来介导的。这些关联在受教育程度较低的母亲中最为强烈。此外，在婴儿健康状况较差但移动电话普及程度较高的国家，关联更为强烈，这突显了在最贫困背景下，移动电话普及对全球发展具有相对较高的潜力。我们的研究结果可能会引起关注识别在不利情况下促进全球健康和福利的相对廉价政策手段的学者和政策制定者的兴趣，特别是针对妇女。
