Testing the Support-Moms Mobile Health Program to Improve Antenatal Care and Maternal Health in Uganda

What this Trial Is About

High maternal mortality remains a major health challenge in many areas, including Uganda, where low use of antenatal care ANC and skilled birth services contribute to high rates of maternal and perinatal deaths. Researchers are studying the Support-Moms mobile health intervention, designed to share targeted health information and engage social support networks through scheduled reminders to encourage pregnant women in rural Uganda to use maternity care services. This trial aims to evaluate the feasibility, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of this intervention in improving maternal health outcomes. The study compares three groups one receiving routine care with standard information, one receiving scheduled SMS-audio messages from the Support-Moms app, and another receiving scheduled messages plus engagement with social supporters via SMS. The intervention delivers health education and appointment reminders to pregnant women and their social supporters to promote ANC attendance and skilled births. The study will be conducted as a randomized controlled trial and includes implementation evaluations to explore broader adoption and cost assessments. Participants will be pregnant individuals in their first trimester who have not yet started ANC and who live within the study area. They will be monitored over 15 months for outcomes including the proportion of births attended by healthcare providers and other maternal, service, and client outcomes. Data collection includes interviews and assessments of implementation success, with ongoing monitoring of study participation and intervention use. The trial will provide insights into how mobile health tools can support maternal care in resource-limited settings.

Mobile Health Intervention (Support-moms) in Antenatal Care to Improve Maternal Health in Uganda