Effectiveness of SMS Technology on Timely Community Health Worker Follow-Up for Childhood Malnutrition: A Retrospective Cohort Study in sub-Saharan Africa.
Glob Health Sci Pract
; 6(2): 345-355, 2018 06 27.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-29959274
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The Millennium Villages Project facilitated technology-based health interventions in rural under-resourced areas of sub-Saharan Africa. Our study examined whether data entry using SMS compared with paper forms by community health workers (CHWs) led to higher proportion of timely follow-up visits for malnutrition screening in under-5 children in Ghana, Rwanda, Senegal, and Uganda.METHODS:
Children under 5 years were screened for malnutrition every 90 days by CHWs using mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) readings. CHWs used either SMS texts or paper forms to enter MUAC data. Reminder texts were sent at 15 days before follow-up was needed. Chi-square tests assessed proportion of timely follow-up visits within 90 days between SMS and paper groups. Logistic regression analysis was conducted in a step-wise multivariate model. Post-hoc power calculations were conducted to verify strength of associations.RESULTS:
SMS data entry was associated with a higher proportion of timely malnutrition follow-up visits compared with paper forms across all sites. The association was strongest with consistent SMS use over consecutive visits. SMS use at the first of 2 consecutive visits was most effective, highlighting the importance of SMS reminder alerts.CONCLUSIONS:
SMS technology with reminders increased timely CHW malnutrition screening visits for under-5 children in Ghana, Rwanda, Senegal, and Uganda, highlighting the importance of such technology for improving health worker behavior in low-resource settings.
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Tecnología
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Trastornos de la Nutrición del Niño
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Tamizaje Masivo
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Agentes Comunitarios de Salud
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Envío de Mensajes de Texto
Tipo de estudio:
Etiology_studies
/
Observational_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
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Risk_factors_studies
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Screening_studies
Límite:
Child, preschool
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Female
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Humans
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Infant
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Male
País/Región como asunto:
Africa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Glob Health Sci Pract
Año:
2018
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Canadá