Title:	A CALL FOR KNOWLEDGE: ASSESSING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TEXT MESSAGING FOR SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH IN NORTHERN GHANA
Author(s):	Johannes G. de Kruijf
ISBN:	978-989-8533-53-1
Editors:	Mário Macedo
Year:	2016
Edition:	Single
Keywords:	Behavior Change Communication, Ghana, mHealth, Sexual and Reproductive Health, SMS
Type:	Full Paper
First Page:	157
Last Page:	163
Language:	English
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Paper Abstract:	In the context of a massive increase in mobile phone use, text messaging has recently become a popular focus of projects that aim to improve the health status of people in Sub-Saharan Africa in cost-effective and rapid ways. In many cases, these SMS programs concern HIV/AIDS and/or the encompassing theme of sexual and reproductive health. Primary objective of most interventions is disease prevention. Despite the apparent proliferation of SMS projects, review articles observe a lack of critical impact assessments and claim stronger evidence is needed to justify the widespread optimism concerning the potential of text messaging as behavior change communication. This paper offers such an assessment. It reports a mixed method study of the effectiveness of an SMS program that was initiated by the Dutch consortium Connect 4 Change to teach teenagers in remote areas of Northern Ghana about adolescence, sexually transmitted diseases, abortion and contraception. Research data show the impact of the intervention was severely undermined by technological challenges and inadequacies concerning the design of text message content. Despite some indications of general sensitization and subsequent behavioral change in qualitative data, no evidence of relevant knowledge increase was found. Such absence of impact highlights the crucial importance of ‘formative research’; preliminary (preferably participatory) assessments of the context of implementation and the target population in order to design appropriate applications and socio-culturally sensitive messages. Also, it urges a rethinking of the particular potential of mobile technology. The notion of soft power is thus introduced to include contemplation of the immaterial property of (high) technology in marginalized settings.
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