Effectiveness of an Interactive Mobile Health Intervention (IMHI) to enhance the adoption of modern contraceptive methods during the early postpartum period among women in Northeast Ethiopia: A cluster Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT).

BACKGROUND

Women in the early postpartum period face substantial unmet needs in contraception to encourage birth intervals and reduce unintended pregnancies. The widespread ownership of mobile devices offers an opportunity to employ mobile health strategies for enhancing communication between healthcare providers and clients. However, little is known about the effectiveness of mobile health interventions to improve early adoption of contraceptive methods after childbirth in Ehiopia.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a mobile health intervention in enhancing the uptake of modern contraceptive methods in the early postpartum period in Dessie and Kombolcha cities, northeast Ethiopia.

METHODS

The research was conducted in Dessie and Kombolcha cities zones located in the Amhara region of Northeast Ethiopia from 15th January to 15th June, 2023. Pregnant women with a confirmed gestation of 30 weeks were enrolled and followed up to the 45-day postpartum period. The study employed a cluster randomized control trial involving 764 participants (381 controls and 383 in the intervention group). The intervention group received a new mobile health intervention in addition to the existing healthcare practices, while the control group solely adhered to the current healthcare practices. Data were collected using the Open Data Kit (ODK) and exported to STATA 17 for analysis. The marginal model Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) through the application of an exchangeable working correlation was applied. The effect of the intervention on the outcome was measured using the odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval at a p-value less than 0.05 significant level.

RESULTS

The study found that 78.7% of participants in the control group and 77.3% in the intervention group had sexual practice after childbirth. The proportion of early postpartum contraceptive uptake in the intervention group (51.6%) was significantly higher than in the control group (38%). The odds of adopting modern contraceptive methods during the early postpartum period were 1.6 times higher among mothers who received the mHealth intervention compared to those in the control group (AOR: 1.6, 95% CI: 1.249-2.123). The study identified significant predictors for the uptake of contraceptive methods during the early postpartum period, including having a live newborn (AOR: 3.7, 95% CI: 1.034-13.353), parity (AOR: 1.7, 95% CI: 1.069-2.695), and previous experience with contraceptive initiation (AOR: 0.5, 95% CI: 0.358-0.912).

CONCLUSION

This study findings demonstrated that the potential effectiveness of mobile health interventions in promoting timely contraceptive adoption during early postpartum period. The mobile health intervention, combined with factors such as timing of previous contraceptive initiation, newborn status, and maternal parity, significantly enhances the likelihood of early contraceptive adoption. These nuanced insights provide a strong foundation for developing targeted health interventions and policies aimed at improving early postpartum contraception.

REGISTRATION

The trial was registered on December 23, 2022, in the Protocol Registration and Results System (PRS) Clinical Trial Registry, www.ClinicalTrials.gov, ID: ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT05666037.