Objectives

Our objectives are to: (1) determine the effect of an interactive SMS messaging intervention, Mobile women’s and children’s health (WACh) NEO, on neonatal mortality, (2) determine the effect of Mobile WACh NEO on maternal implementation of ENC and care-seeking behaviour and (3) determine the effects of Mobile WACh NEO on maternal social support, self-efficacy and depression. We will additionally characterise determinants of SMS engagement and evaluate participants’ experiences with the intervention.

Trial design

The Mobile WACh NEO study is a multisite, two-arm, 1:1 individually randomised, parallel group, superiority RCT comparing peripartum interactive two-way SMS to standard of care (no SMS) control.

Study setting

The study is conducted at six healthcare facilities in Kenya. The study initially recruited at Mathare North Health Centre, Riruta Health Centre, Rachuonyo County Hospital and Bondo Sub-County Referral Hospital; to expedite enrolment, 15 months after study start, recruitment was added at two more sites, Ahero County Hospital and Kisumu County Hospital. Four facilities (Rachuonyo, Bondo, Ahero and Kisumu) are in rural locations in Western Kenya, and two facilities (Mathare and Riruta) are in urban locations in Nairobi. These sites were chosen to include Nairobi, Homa Bay, Siaya and Kisumu counties, which all have high neonatal mortality.3

Patient and public involvement

The Mobile WACh NEO study builds on a series of prior studies using a similar SMS messaging approach for a range of maternal–child health outcomes. These studies led to development of the Mobile solutions for WACh (Mobile WACh) SMS messaging platform. Participants in these studies highlighted the need for information and strategies to support the health of their newborns, in addition to their own health in pregnancy and post partum.46 In previous evaluations, there was particularly high demand for advice regarding infant illness and care-seeking. Patients were first involved in the Mobile WACh NEO project at a community advisory board meeting during piloting of the intervention.55 Patients contributed to design of the intervention by sharing their perspectives on topics of interest as well as messaging delivery approaches. They were not involved in study design, choice of outcome measures or study recruitment. Study findings will be shared with our community advisory board to inform broader dissemination of results.

Recruitment and screening

Each day, study staff obtain a list of women presenting for ANC visits at the clinic. Clinic staff share an overview of the study with ANC clients in the clinic waiting area and refer interested women at from the ANC to study staff who provide a short description of the study. If a potential participant is interested in learning more, study staff perform eligibility screening following the ANC visit. Eligible participants are ≥14 years old, pregnant at 28–36 weeks estimated gestational age, enrolled in antenatal care at a study site, have daily access to a shared or personal mobile phone with a subscriber identity module on the Safaricom network, are willing to receive SMS, plan to stay in the area for 5 months or greater, and are not enrolled in another study. These eligibility criteria were selected to include women of all ages who were able to independently consent; allow participants to receive several weeks of messages in the third trimester of pregnancy; enable efficient clinic-based recruitment and follow-up; ensure participants had access to the mobile intervention; and minimise contamination by other research interventions. Messages are delivered only through the Safaricom network, the most widely used network in Kenya, to reduce the research costs of purchasing reverse-billed SMS shortcodes on multiple networks. Literacy is not required if a woman has access to a partner or trusted person who she is comfortable having read her the messages. The approach of involving partners in receiving and sending SMS was developed in consultation with Kenyan mothers and successfully implemented in prior Mobile WACh studies.46 56

Informed consent

Informed consent is obtained by study staff. Participants provide verbal consent prior to eligibility screening and, if eligible, written consent to enrol in the RCT. When potential participants are illiterate, an impartial witness is present during the entire consent process and signs the consent form, while the participant makes a mark or thumbprint on the form. The age of consent in Kenya is 18, but pregnant women age ≥14 are considered emancipated and can consent independently, thus all eligible study participants are able to consent independently. Consent includes permission to conduct home visits or phone interviews for tracing purposes and to conduct a verbal autopsy in case of an infant death. The consent also includes permission to use deidentified participant data in future studies. A sample consent form is provided in online supplemental material S1.

Randomisation

Participants are randomised to two-way SMS or control, using 1:1 allocation (figure 1). A web-based randomisation service generates allocations, stratified by site, using random block sizes of 2, 4 and 6 (Randomize.net, Ottawa, Canada). The randomisation service only displays and records the allocation after staff have entered the enrolled participant ID. To ensure participants are distributed across sites, no site will enrol more than 2499 of the 5000 total women. In rare situations where randomisation using the web-based service is not possible due to technical issues, envelopes containing randomisation allocations generated by the web-based service are available. Participants and study staff are unblinded to study arm. The principal investigator (PI) and coinvestigators are blinded to study findings until study close.

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Figure 1

CONSORT diagram of Mobile WACh NEO Trial. The Mobile WACh NEO intervention is semiautomated interactive SMS during pregnancy and up to 6 weeks post partum. Recruitment and randomisation began in September 2020, in-depth interviews will begin in January 2022, and follow-up is anticipated to end in may 2023. ANC, antenatal care; CONSORT, Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials; SMS, short messaging service; WACh, women’s and children’s health.

Intervention

Participants randomised to the two-way SMS arm receive a series of automated SMS messages during pregnancy and until 6 weeks post partum. Women randomised to the control arm do not receive SMS messages from Mobile WACh NEO. Participants in both arms receive standard ANC and MCH clinical services through MOH clinics with minimal in-person interactions with study personnel.

Message content is designed based on estimated gestational age or time since delivery. Messages are sent in English, Dholuo or Kiswahili depending on the participant’s preference. Participants can send SMS messages to the study at any time and study nurses respond by SMS during business hours within one business day. Sending and receiving SMS is at no cost to the participant.

SMS messaging content during the pregnancy and postpartum periods is summarised in figure 2. From enrolment until 38 weeks gestation, automated SMS are delivered weekly, encouraging facility delivery and birth planning, and providing anticipatory guidance about neonatal danger signs and emotional support. Automated SMS are delivered at a prespecified day, time and language based on participant preferences. From 38 weeks gestation until delivery, women receive daily messages highlighting ID of neonatal danger signs and ENC practices including immediate and exclusive breast feeding, thermal and cord care. From delivery to 2 weeks post partum, mothers receive two messages per day: one message with screening questions for ID of infant danger signs and encouragement to engage with nurses by SMS if they have a concern, and one message with educational content on ENC practices, mental health and support. From 2 to 6 weeks post partum, SMSs are delivered every other day. All messages open with the participant’s preferred name, provide advice regarding an outcome of the trial, and contain a question to engage women in message content.

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Figure 2

Messaging timing, content and tracks for Mobile WACh NEO. WACh, women’s and children’s health.

Messages were adapted from prior Mobile WACh studies,46 47 56 consistent with Kenyan MOH guidelines for newborn care,57 and tested during a pilot study involving 800 peripartum women in Mathare North Health Centre and Rachuonyo County Hospital.55 The messaging curriculum was modified through consultations with obstetrics, neonatology and mental health specialists and literature review on supportive messaging. Additional messaging ‘tracks’ were created with adaptations to the messages for mother–infant dyads at elevated risk for obstetrical and neonatal complications. Those placed in high-risk tracks receive additional messages tailored to their specific risk factor. High-risk groups include (1) first-time mothers or mothers age ≤19, (2) women who screen positive for elevated depression symptoms during study data collection using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (score ≥13) or (3) women whose infants are born premature (<37 weeks estimated gestational age) or are of low birth weight (<2.5 kg). Additionally, if a participant loses her pregnancy or her infant dies and she consents to continued messaging, she is switched to a message track that contains no content related to pregnancy or infant care but includes emotionally supportive condolence messages designed in a previous Mobile WACh study.58

The Mobile WACh NEO SMS curriculum was developed based on the IMB theory, which holds that health behaviour is influenced by an individual’s knowledge of information about the benefits of the behaviour, their motivation to change behaviour and their skills to change and engage in new behaviour (figure 3).54 Based on this model, topics and example messages sent in the study are summarised in table 1.

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Figure 3

Conceptual framework for mobile WACh NEO. SMS, short messaging service; WACh, women’s and children’s health.

A custom human-computer hybrid software system is used to manage incoming and outgoing SMS for Mobile WACh NEO (figure 4).56 59 This online system enables two-way SMS communication and participant tracking. To facilitate management of messages, the messaging platform was developed through a human-centred design processes with Kenyan nurses to improve usability and streamline workflow.59 The interface enables nurses to review and respond to incoming participant SMS. The system also has a bank of responses to frequently asked questions, such as common pregnancy concerns, birth planning, infant feeding and infant illness, which nurses can use as a modifiable template for their responses. This allows for improved standardisation and response times. Nurses can also freely respond to participant messages or questions that arise. Nurses triage messages as they are received and respond with greater urgency to messages involving a reported maternal or neonatal danger sign, serious adverse event (SAE), or home delivery. If participants report neonatal or maternal danger signs, they are referred to facility care by study nurses. If a participant reports experiencing intimate partner violence, suicidal ideation, elevated depressive symptoms or severe food insecurity, study staff refer the participant to available local resources. Prior to study initiation, study personnel received training on use of the SMS system and topics in neonatal, maternal health and psychosocial support. Study messages are reviewed weekly by senior team members and discussed with study nurses for quality assurance.

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Figure 4

Screenshot of mobile WACh system study nurse interface. WACh, women’s and children’s health.

To ensure timely transition from antepartum to postpartum messaging at delivery, participants are encouraged to report their delivery as soon as possible by SMS or phone call. Participants without a recorded delivery by 1 day after their estimated delivery date (EDD) are contacted by phone call to confirm their delivery status. If they are not reached by phone tracing, home tracing is performed. To comply with movement restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, home-tracing has been suspended. If delivery is not confirmed by 43 weeks gestational age and tracing is unsuccessful, the participant automatically starts receiving postpartum messaging. If a participant reports a pregnancy or infant loss, they automatically stop receiving automated messages and are offered the option to continue receiving modified pregnancy or infant loss messages, as described above. Participants enrolled in the intervention arm can opt out of the intervention at any time or send an SMS to withdraw from the intervention. No provisions for post-trial care are offered to participants.

Outcomes

The primary outcome of the study is neonatal death, defined as death within the first 28 days after live birth. All study outcomes are outlined in table 2.

Data collection and management

The participant timeline is depicted in figure 1. Participants enter the study at 28–36 weeks gestation and are randomised to either the Mobile WACh NEO or control arm at enrolment. At 2 and 6 weeks following delivery, participants attend a study visit in conjunction with their usual medical care at the clinic or complete a study visit by phone.

Data are collected at study visits at enrolment in pregnancy, 2 weeks post partum, and 6 weeks post partum. At enrolment, a tablet-based questionnaire is administered by study staff using an open-source data collection system (KoboToolbox). The questionnaire ascertains demographic characteristics, clinical and pregnancy history, family planning, experience with SMS and technology, social support, intimate partner violence, maternal and child health status, breastfeeding plans, parental self-efficacy, and depression. Standardised instruments are used to assess depressive symptoms,60–62 social support63 and parenting self-efficacy64 (table 2). Instruments are administered in the participant’s preferred language. To determine EDD at enrolment, women are asked the date of the first day of their last menstrual period. EDD is also abstracted from the MCH booklet, the primary medical record used in the peripartum period, when available. In cases of disagreement between LMP and EDD, the MCH booklet is the primary data source. Dates for follow-up visits are calculated based on actual delivery date once delivery has occurred.

At 2-week and 6-week follow-up visits, a standardised questionnaire is administered using KoboToolbox to capture infant mortality, knowledge of ENC practices, neonatal danger signs, appropriate care seeking for any instances of infant or maternal illness, depression, social support and parenting self-efficacy. The 2-week follow-up visit questionnaire additionally captures details on immediate breast feeding, delivery, thermal and cord care. Study visits are designed to align with recommended patient clinical care schedules. No biological specimens are collected.

Clinic record data about hospitalisations and deliveries are abstracted. The primary source of abstracted data for maternal or infant hospitalisation is the hospital discharge form brought by the mother to the 2-week or 6-week study visits. Abstraction of the MCH booklet brought by the mother and the maternity registry at the clinic is also performed to collect delivery details if a participant misses the 2-week or 6-week study visit(s). Abstracted data are entered into an electronic data collection system using REDCap. Data are collected digitally and uploaded daily to a secure cloud storage location accessible only by key data management personnel.

When the study is informed of an infant death, a verbal autopsy is conducted to determine the primary causes of death, using the Population Health Metrics Research Consortium shortened verbal autopsy neonatal questionnaire, translated into the participant’s preferred language, and SmartVA-Analyze V.2.0.0 application.65

If a study participant misses a 2-week or 6-week study visit by 1 week or no delivery date is recorded by 1 week after EDD, active tracing by phone is conducted. If the participant is not reached by phone after four attempts, home tracing is conducted. Participants who do not wish to come to clinic for the 2-week or 6-week study visit are offered to complete the questionnaire by phone or at home if suitable locations for ensuring participant confidentiality are available. In response to MOH guidelines and recommendations to reduce possible exposures to COVID-19, the research team modified study procedures to suspend any in-person home visits or clinic visits whose sole purpose is study data collection procedures.

Following the 6-week study visit, in-depth interviews are conducted with 60 intervention participants to gather data on their experience with the SMS curriculum. Participants are purposively sampled to participate in IDIs based on their messaging behaviour in the intervention: participants who sent a high, medium and low number of messages during the intervention will be included to understand the range of experiences with the intervention. Further, a group of participants who experienced infant hospitalisation or death will also be included. Interviews will focus on barriers and facilitators of SMS engagement to characterise high and low users, and perceived utility of remote engagement with nurses during infant illness.

Participants are enrolled in the study until 18 weeks after delivery to allow time for all follow-up activities, including in-depth interviews and verbal autopsies as needed.

AEs, including physical, psychological, social, or economic events, as well as SAE, defined as pregnancy loss, maternal or infant hospitalisation or death, will be monitored throughout the study. At each study visit, participants are asked if an AE or SAE occurred since the last visit. If an SAE is reported, study staff notify the Kenyatta National Hospital/University of Nairobi ethics review board and PI of the event within 72 hours. Any breaches of privacy or risk of breach of privacy are reported to the University of Washington Institutional Review Boards and Kenyatta National Hospital/University of Nairobi ethics review board within 24 hours.

A data safety monitoring board (DSMB) has been convened for this study, composed of five researchers in the fields of biostatistics, maternal–child health, paediatrics and mHealth. The DSMB is independent from the sponsor and has no competing interests. No other external trial monitoring or auditing is planned.

Sample size

The study is powered to detect a difference in the primary outcome of neonatal mortality. With 5000 participants randomised 1:1 to SMS and control, assuming 10% attrition and alpha=0.05, we have 80% power to detect a risk ratio of ≤0.53 assuming a neonatal mortality rate of 23 per 1000 in the control arm.3 With this sample size, assuming alpha=0.0045 (Bonferroni adjusted for 11 tests, see the Statistical analysis section), we will also have 80% power to detect the following changes in secondary outcomes: a risk ratio of 1.05 in early initiation of breast feeding assuming 80% uptake in controls,46 a risk ratio of 1.11 in application of substances to the cord or delaying first bath assuming 50% in controls,66 a risk ratio of 0.76 in elevated depression symptoms assuming 19% in controls.67 Sample size for post-RCT qualitative data collection was determined based on the number of interviews needed to achieve saturation of concepts. It is estimated that 60 interviews will be sufficient to achieve saturation and provide relevant intervention and implementation feedback.

Statistical analysis

Study outcomes and analytic approaches are summarised in table 2. The primary study outcome is neonatal mortality, defined as death within the first 28 days of life as reported in clinic records or maternal report. Risk of neonatal mortality will be compared between arms by log-binomial regression. Secondary outcomes are: neonatal mortality in the first 7 days (analysed by log-binomial regression), proportion of mothers who initiate exclusive breast feeding in the first hour of life (analysed by log-binomial regression); proportion of mothers who delay bathing for at least 24 hours after birth (analysed by log-binomial regression); proportion of mothers who apply no substances to the umbilical cord (analysed by log-binomial regression); time to cessation of breast feeding (analysed by Cox proportional hazards regression); proportion of mothers of preterm or low birth weight neonates who provide KMC (analysed by log-binomial regression); number of neonatal danger signs successfully named by the mother (analysed by generalised estimating equation Poisson regression); proportion of women with elevated depression symptoms by Edinburgh postnatal depression scale (analysed by general estimating equation log-binomial regression); social support score by the MOS Social Support Scale (analysed by generalised estimating equation linear regression); self-efficacy score in the Karitane Parenting Confidence Scale (analysed by generalised estimating equation linear regression).

All analyses will be intent-to-treat. Analysis of secondary outcomes will be corrected for multiple comparisons using the Benjamini-Hochberg method.68 Power calculations were conducted using a Bonferroni adjustment to provide a conservative estimate of the limits of detectable differences. An exploratory per-protocol analysis will be conducted excluding women who discontinue the SMS intervention. Based on previous studies in this population, we expect 10% loss to follow-up between enrolment and the 6-week study visit. Sensitivity analyses will be conducted for the primary mortality outcome assuming all participants who are lost to follow-up and missing mortality data did or did not experience neonatal mortality. An interim analysis for neonatal mortality will be performed using O’Brien-Fleming boundaries for benefit and harm when 50% of expected person time has been accrued.

The full protocol (V.2.2, October 5, 2020) is provided in online supplemental material S2. Participant-level data on primary outcomes and statistical code will be made available after publication of trial findings, on request from the authors.

Current study status

Participant enrolment began on 7 September 2020. Recruitment, intervention delivery and data collection are currently ongoing. Recruitment and follow-up are projected to be complete by September 2022 and May 2023, respectively.

Ethics and dissemination

The study has received ethical approval at the University of Washington (STUDY00006395), Women and Infants Hospital (1755292-1) and Kenyatta National Hospital/University of Nairobi (P310/04/2019) institutional review boards.

All participants provide written informed consent. All participants are assigned a study ID number and identified only by that ID after enrolment. Any personally identifiable information related to participants is maintained separately from study data to preserve participant confidentiality. Paper forms such as signed consent forms are stored in locked cabinets separate from forms connecting participant names and their study participant identifier. Discussions between study staff and potential participants during study visits or for purposes of data collection are conducted in a private space to maintain privacy. All study staff are trained in human subjects research and study standard operating procedures.

Dissemination of study results to health researchers, policy-makers and clinicians has potential to improve prevention strategies for neonatal mortality in Kenya and in other countries. All data collected in this study will be publicly disseminated to key policymakers at county and national level in Kenya, the public health research community in Kenya and through peer-reviewed international journals and conferences. Results from the study will be reported no later than 1 year after the completion date. Publication of the record was delayed by 4 days relative to the NIH reporting policy due to unexpected medical absence by the PI. Any protocol modifications will be recorded in the registry.