Influence of mobile phone calls on women's perception of antenatal care services in Kisii, Kenya

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Background/Aims Women's perceptions of antenatal care may influence their use of this service. There are limited data exploring the use of mobile phone calls to educate women during antenatal care. This study aimed to explore the influence of a mobile phone health education intervention on women's perception of antenatal care services and their capacity to manage their health during pregnancy. Methods This cluster randomised control trial was conducted between 2020 and 2021 in 16 rural government health facilities in Kisii, Kenya. Health centres were randomly assigned to either intervention or standard care. The intervention consisted of monthly antenatal education through mobile phone calls during pregnancy. Data were collected using pre- and post-intervention questionnaires that explored participants' perception of antenatal care services (benefits, barriers and perceived interpersonal influences) and perceived self-efficacy (their capacity to take charge of optimising their health and that of their baby). Binary logistic regression was used to analyse the variables of interest. Results In terms of their perception of antenatal care, the intervention significantly improved the perception that it provided useful information on exercise (P=0.04). The intervention had a positive influence on perceived self-efficacy, as participants in the intervention group were four times more likely to follow an antenatal care plan (P<0.01), remember preventive medications (P<0.01), remember laboratory investigations (P<0.01), seek health information (P<0.01) and have adequate relaxation (P<0.01) than those in the control group. Conclusions Delivering health education to pregnant women via mobile phone calls has the potential to improve their perception of antenatal care services and their self-efficacy. Larger cluster randomised control trials are needed to explore this further. Implications for practice Providing antenatal education through mobile phone calls may improve pregnant women's perception of antenatal care services, improving uptake of these services in health facilities.