Piloting Smartphone Application to Improve Mother’s Knowledge of Proper Neonatal Care in Indonesia

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The first of 0–28 days presents a crucial stage in infant health and well-being. In Indonesia, it is estimated that 60–80% of all newborn deaths occur within the first 6 days of life. Antenatal education regarding neonatal care is needed in this setting. AIM: This study aims to pilot an Android-based smartphone application (app) to assess effectiveness in improving pregnant Indonesian women’s knowledge about neonatal care. METHODS: A quasi-experimental study conducted from November 2019 to January 2020 with 31 participants in each of the experimental and control groups (n = 62). Participants were pregnant women in the third trimester who obtained antenatal care (ANC) at the Community Health Center in Banguntapan 1 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Participants completed a structured questionnaire and were given the “My Baby Care” (MBC) app. Data collection occurred 3 times in the form of (1) pre-intervention activities and training on use of the MBC app; (2) follow-up activities using WhatsApp groups during the intervention; and (3) post-intervention data collection was conducted through Google Forms questionnaire. Data were analyzed using paired t-tests to compare pre- and post-intervention groups, and independent sample t-tests to compare participants’ knowledge status between the two groups. RESULTS: Participants were on average 28.7 years old in the experimental group and 29.9 years old in the control group. The majority had a high school level education, were not currently working, got married over the age of 20, and had more than two children. Before the intervention, there was no significant difference in neonatal care knowledge of the participants between the experimental and control groups. We found that health education delivered through the smartphone app was effective in increasing participants’ knowledge about neonatal care (MD = 4.354, p = 0.030). CONCLUSION: The use of an Android-based smartphone app was found to be effective in increasing mother’s knowledge about proper neonatal care. Digital strategies are innovative and should be considered for the implementation of health education in ANC programs in Indonesia and beyond.