Uptake, engagement and acceptance, barriers and facilitators of a text messaging intervention for postnatal care of mother and child in India—a mixed methods feasibility study

Sampathkumar, Swetha, Sankar, Meenakshi, Ramasamy, Sankar, Sriram, Nivedita, Saravanan, Ponnusamy and Ram, Uma 2022. Uptake, engagement and acceptance, barriers and facilitators of a text messaging intervention for postnatal care of mother and child in India—a mixed methods feasibility study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19 (15) , 8914. 10.3390/ijerph19158914

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Abstract

This study aimed to test the feasibility and to identify barriers and facilitators towards adherence of a text messaging intervention for postnatal care in India. Mixed methods research involving both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. A survey questionnaire for feasibility and focus group interviews to identify the barriers and facilitators to the intervention were conducted. The top three reasons for activation of service were: helped the new mother to understand the changes (95%); provided continuation of care (90%) and clarified conflicting information (89%). Over 90% read the messages daily. 80% were happy with the message frequency. About 75% shared the content with others. The main reasons for non-activation were: 30% had technical issues, 15% did not think it would be useful, 17% did not have time to activate and for 5%, husbands made the decision. These findings were triangulated through the qualitative focus groups. The main themes identified via the focus groups were: (1) reliable, current information; (2) issues and themes well aligned with new mothers’ needs and priorities; (3) expanded the repertoire of information sources available; and (4) high-quality accessible information. The satisfaction and trust rates were high. This technology may be useful for health information intervention in specific postnatal areas.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education) Schools > School of Social and Spatial Sciences
Publisher:	MDPI
ISSN:	1660-4601
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	14 October 2026
Date of Acceptance:	20 July 2022
Last Modified:	14 Oct 2026 09:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/190230

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