Mobile Text Messages-A Silent Revolution for A Sound Antenatal Care Indira E.1, Thomas P.E.2, Hari M. Sri2 1Assistant Professor, Department of Visual Communication, Avinashilingam University for Women, Coimbatore. India 2Professor and Head, Department of Communication and Media Studies, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, India Online published on 29 December, 2017. Abstract As a basic human right, every woman has the right to life, health, reproductive autonomy, equality and non-discrimination. Maternal health indicator reflects how well this right has been ensured for the women living in a nation. India is one of the developing nations which face a high maternal mortality rate. To address to the diversified and scattered populace of the country, and their varied health needs, India needs advanced connectivity for transforming the delivery of healthcare services. Given the consideration of cost, ease of use, asynchronous delivery, text messages are the most preferred m Health solution across the globe. An experimental study was conducted among the pregnant women visiting the Primary Health Centers in and around Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. The objective of the study was to test the effectiveness of text messages in generating awareness on antenatal care and essential behavior change among the pregnant women. A pre test was conducted among the pregnant women and an intervention of text messages was sent to their mobile phone numbers for a period of one month. After the invention, a post test was conducted again to test the increase in their level of awareness on antenatal care. The results were analyzed using a paired sample's’ test using SPSS. A substantial increase in the level of awareness on antenatal care was found among the participants. It can be found that the widespread penetration of mobile phones among the rural and marginalized people can be used for connecting them to the healthcare system. Top Keywords Antenatal care, maternal mortality, mobile phones, pregnant women, text messages. Top |