Effectiveness of a mobile health intervention on uptake of recommended postnatal care services in Nigeria

Studies have linked the large percentage of maternal and neonatal mortality that occur in postnatal period to low uptake of postnatal care (PNC) services. Mobile health (mHealth) intervention through message reminders has resulted in significant increase in antenatal care utilisation in previous studies. However, its use in PNC services’ uptake has not been adequately investigated in Nigeria. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a mobile health intervention on PNC attendance among mothers in selected primary healthcare facilities in Osun State, Nigeria. A quasi-experimental research design was utilised. Participants were allocated to Intervention Group and Control Group. One hundred and ninety pregnant mothers were recruited in each group. A mobile health intervention software was developed and used to send educational and reminder messages to mothers in the intervention group from the 35th week of pregnancy to six weeks after delivery. Uptake of PNC services was assessed at birth, 3 days, 10 days and 42 days after delivery. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, chi-square and logistic regression models. About one-third (30.9%) of respondents in the intervention group had four postnatal care visits while only 3.7% in the control group had four visits (p < 0.001). After controlling for the effect of confounding variables, group membership remained a significant predictor of PNC uptake. (AOR: 10.869, 95% CI: 4.479–26.374). Mobile health intervention significantly improved utilisation of the recommended four postnatal care visits.