Abstract
(1)Background:In limited-resource settings such as the Dominican Republic, many factors contribute to poor health outcomes experienced by adolescent mothers, including insufficient support and/or health knowledge. In response, we designed a digital educational support group, administered through WhatsApp Messenger, for new adolescent mothers. The purpose of this study was to assess if participation in this digital support group could improve health outcomes and health behaviors.(2)Methods:Participants completed questionnaires with a health literacy screener, demographic items, knowledge questions, the Index of Autonomous Functioning, and five Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System scales before and after the moderator-led intervention. Differences between pre- and post-intervention scores were calculated and perceptions of the intervention were explored through in-depth interviews analyzed with content analysis. Participants’ well-baby visit attendance and contraceptive use were compared to that of controls and a national sample.(3)Results:Participants’ (N = 58) knowledge scores increased (p < 0.05). Participants were 6.58 times more likely to attend well-baby visits than controls (95% CI: 2.23–19.4) and their contraceptive use was higher than that of the national sample (p < 0.05). Participants indicated the intervention was enjoyable and beneficial.(4)Conclusion:This adolescent-centered digital intervention is a promising method to improve health outcomes and health behaviors of young mothers in limited-resource settings.
Highlights
The Dominican Republic (DR) has one of the highest rates of adolescent pregnancy in the world, as over 20% of girls aged 15–19 years are, or have been, pregnant [1,2]
Clinical data were extracted from Fortaleciendo la Autodeterminación de Madres Adolescentes (FAMA) participants’ medical records and compared to similar data extracted from the medical records of a control group
We identified pertinent content associated with each identified topic through a brief literature review and established the guide for the FAMA intervention with the corresponding findings
Summary
The Dominican Republic (DR) has one of the highest rates of adolescent pregnancy in the world, as over 20% of girls aged 15–19 years are, or have been, pregnant [1,2]. This is concerning, as adolescent pregnancy may lead to negative health outcomes for the mother and baby [3,4,5,6,7]. The successful management of any mother’s and baby’s health in the postpartum period requires new mothers to acquire much information regarding how to take care of themselves and their newborn [13,14]. Topics such as when and how to feed their baby and how to manage their own emotional and physical needs are just a few of the many information needs of new mothers [14]
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