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EGA Institute for Women's Health

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Adaptation and piloting of M-health intervention to improve contraceptive uptake in southern Africa

Principal Supervisor: Judith Stephenson   

Subsidiary Supervisor: Chelsea Morroni

Project Summary:

Reducing unintended pregnancies is a major priority for improving reproductive health in the UK and globally.  

An interactive m-health intervention (named BeCCY – Best Contraceptive Choice for You) is currently being developed by a research team from the Institute for Women’s Health in collaboration with service users and health professionals in London. The intervention is due to be finalised and ready for piloting in London by the end of 2016.  Another member of the research team, based in Botswana, has identified opportunities for such an m-health intervention to benefit women in southern Africa, where the need to reduce unplanned pregnancy is high. 

The PhD student will conduct formative research / situational assessment in Botswana and / or South Africa to assess the opportunities and requirements for a successful m-health intervention in key service settings (e.g. family planning clinics, HIV clinics, post-natal clinics, schools).  S/he will adapt m-health intervention with software developer as necessary and develop a study design for a feasibility study in Botswana and / or South Africa. 

Quantitative outcomes of the research are likely to include: 

  • Satisfaction with chosen contraceptive method at 6 months
  • Sexual quality of life (SQoL) and utility scores for calculating quality adjusted life years (QALYs)
  • Patient views and experience of the intervention and trial procedures
  • Provider views about impacts on the service and trial procedures

Qualitative research with women and health professionals will identify the aspects that promote or hinder the successfulness of this intervention in helping women avoid unintended pregnancy. 

References:

  1. Bailey JV, Murray E, Rait G, Mercer CH, Morris RW, Peacock R, Cassell JA, Nazareth I. Interactive computer-based interventions for sexual health promotion. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2010
  2. Garbers, S. et al. Randomized controlled trial of a computer-based module to improve contraceptive method choice. Contraception 2012:86: 383-390
  3. Garbers, S.et al. Tailored health messaging improves contraceptive continuation and adherence: results from a randomized controlled trial. Contraception 2011:86: 536-542
  4. Schwartz, EB. Et al. Computer-assisted provision of hormonal contraception in acute care settings. Contraception 2013:87: 242-250
  5. Blandford, A. Eliciting people’s conceptual models of activities and systems. International Journal of Conceptual Structures and Smart Applications 2013: 1 (1), 1-17