Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • Issues
    • Current Issue
    • Advance Access
    • Past Issues
    • Supplements
    • Topic Collections
  • For Authors
    • Instructions for Authors
    • Submit
  • Submit
  • About
    • About GHSP
    • Editorial Board
    • FAQs
    • 5 Year Anniversary Infographic
  • More
    • Instructions for Reviewers
    • Alerts
    • Contact Us
    • Website Policies
  • Other Useful Sites
    • GH eLearning
    • GHJournal Search

User menu

  • My Alerts

Search

  • Advanced search
Global Health: Science and Practice
  • Other Useful Sites
    • GH eLearning
    • GHJournal Search
  • My Alerts

Global Health: Science and Practice

Dedicated to what works in global health programs

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Issues
    • Current Issue
    • Advance Access
    • Past Issues
    • Supplements
    • Topic Collections
  • For Authors
    • Instructions for Authors
    • Submit
  • Submit
  • About
    • About GHSP
    • Editorial Board
    • FAQs
    • 5 Year Anniversary Infographic
  • More
    • Instructions for Reviewers
    • Alerts
    • Contact Us
    • Website Policies
  • Visit GHSP on Facebook
  • Follow GHSP on Twitter
  • RSS
  • Find GHSP on LinkedIn
ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Open Access

Unintended Consequences of mHealth Interactive Voice Messages Promoting Contraceptive Use After Menstrual Regulation in Bangladesh: Intimate Partner Violence Results From a Randomized Controlled Trial

Kate Reiss, Kathryn Andersen, Erin Pearson, Kamal Biswas, Fahmida Taleb, Thoai D. Ngo, Altaf Hossain, Sharmani Barnard, Chris Smith, James Carpenter, Jamie Menzel, Katharine Footman, Katherine Keenan, Megan Douthwaite, Yasmin Reena, Hassan Rushekh Mahmood, Tanzila Tabbassum, Manuela Colombini, Loraine Bacchus and Kathryn Church
Global Health: Science and Practice September 2019, 7(3):386-403; https://doi.org/10.9745/GHSP-D-19-00015
Kate Reiss
Department of Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • For correspondence: kate.reiss@lshtm.ac.uk
Kathryn Andersen
Ipas, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Erin Pearson
Ipas, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Kamal Biswas
Ipas Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Fahmida Taleb
Marie Stopes Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Thoai D. Ngo
Population Council, New York, NY, USA.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Altaf Hossain
Association for Prevention of Septic Abortion, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Sharmani Barnard
School of Population Health and Environmental Sciences, King's College, London, UK.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Chris Smith
School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
James Carpenter
Department of Medical Statistics, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Jamie Menzel
Ipas, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Katharine Footman
Marie Stopes International, London, UK.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Katherine Keenan
School of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, UK.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Megan Douthwaite
Marie Stopes International, London, UK.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Yasmin Reena
Marie Stopes Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Hassan Rushekh Mahmood
icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Tanzila Tabbassum
Marie Stopes Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Manuela Colombini
Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Loraine Bacchus
Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Kathryn Church
Marie Stopes International, London, UK.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
PreviousNext
  • Article
  • Figures & Tables
  • Supplements
  • Info & Metrics
  • Comments
  • PDF
Loading

Automated interactive voice messages about post-menstrual regulation contraception delivered to women in Bangladesh via mobile phone were associated with increased reports of intimate partner violence. This finding highlights the importance of taking steps to minimize risk when delivering phone messages on sensitive topics and the need for assessing violence in such situations.

ABSTRACT

Background: Mobile phones for health (mHealth) hold promise for delivering behavioral interventions. We evaluated the effect of automated interactive voice messages promoting contraceptive use with a focus on long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) among women in Bangladesh who had undergone menstrual regulation (MR), a procedure to “regulate the menstrual cycle when menstruation is absent for a short duration.”

Methods: We recruited MR clients from 41 public- and private-sector clinics immediately after MR. Eligibility criteria included having a personal mobile phone and consenting to receive messages about family planning by phone. We randomized participants remotely to an intervention group that received at least 11 voice messages about contraception over 4 months or to a control group (no messages). The primary outcome was LARC use at 4 months. Adverse events measured included experience of intimate partner violence (IPV). Researchers recruiting participants and 1 analyst were blinded to allocation groups. All analyses were intention to treat. The trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02579785).

Results: Between December 2015 and March 2016, 485 women were allocated to the intervention group and 484 to the control group. We completed follow-up on 389 intervention and 383 control participants. Forty-eight (12%) participants in the intervention group and 59 (15%) in the control group reported using a LARC method at 4 months (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] using multiple imputation=0.95; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.49 to 1.83; P=.22). Reported physical IPV was higher in the intervention group: 42 (11%) intervention versus 25 (7%) control (aOR=1.97; 95% CI=1.12 to 3.46; P=.03) when measured using a closed question naming acts of violence. No violence was reported in response to an open question about effects of being in the study.

Conclusions: The intervention did not increase LARC use but had an unintended consequence of increasing self-reported IPV. Researchers and health program designers should consider possible negative impacts when designing and evaluating mHealth and other reproductive health interventions. IPV must be measured using closed questions naming acts of violence.

  • Received: 2019 Jan 2.
  • Accepted: 2019 May 21.
  • Published: 2019 Sep 23.
  • © Reiss et al.

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are properly cited. To view a copy of the license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. When linking to this article, please use the following permanent link: https://doi.org/10.9745/GHSP-D-19-00015

View Full Text
PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

Global Health: Science and Practice: 7 (3)
Global Health: Science and Practice
Vol. 7, No. 3
September 23, 2019
  • Table of Contents
  • About the Cover
  • Index by Author
  • Complete Issue (PDF)
Print
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word about Global Health: Science and Practice.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Unintended Consequences of mHealth Interactive Voice Messages Promoting Contraceptive Use After Menstrual Regulation in Bangladesh: Intimate Partner Violence Results From a Randomized Controlled Trial
(Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from Global Health: Science and Practice
(Your Name) thought you would like to see this page from the Global Health: Science and Practice web site.
Citation Tools
Unintended Consequences of mHealth Interactive Voice Messages Promoting Contraceptive Use After Menstrual Regulation in Bangladesh: Intimate Partner Violence Results From a Randomized Controlled Trial
Kate Reiss, Kathryn Andersen, Erin Pearson, Kamal Biswas, Fahmida Taleb, Thoai D. Ngo, Altaf Hossain, Sharmani Barnard, Chris Smith, James Carpenter, Jamie Menzel, Katharine Footman, Katherine Keenan, Megan Douthwaite, Yasmin Reena, Hassan Rushekh Mahmood, Tanzila Tabbassum, Manuela Colombini, Loraine Bacchus, Kathryn Church
Global Health: Science and Practice Sep 2019, 7 (3) 386-403; DOI: 10.9745/GHSP-D-19-00015

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Share
Unintended Consequences of mHealth Interactive Voice Messages Promoting Contraceptive Use After Menstrual Regulation in Bangladesh: Intimate Partner Violence Results From a Randomized Controlled Trial
Kate Reiss, Kathryn Andersen, Erin Pearson, Kamal Biswas, Fahmida Taleb, Thoai D. Ngo, Altaf Hossain, Sharmani Barnard, Chris Smith, James Carpenter, Jamie Menzel, Katharine Footman, Katherine Keenan, Megan Douthwaite, Yasmin Reena, Hassan Rushekh Mahmood, Tanzila Tabbassum, Manuela Colombini, Loraine Bacchus, Kathryn Church
Global Health: Science and Practice Sep 2019, 7 (3) 386-403; DOI: 10.9745/GHSP-D-19-00015
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Statistics from Altmetric.com

Jump to section

  • Article
    • ABSTRACT
    • INTRODUCTION
    • METHODS
    • RESULTS
    • DISCUSSION
    • CONCLUSIONS
    • Acknowledgments
    • Notes
    • REFERENCES
  • Figures & Tables
  • Supplements
  • Info & Metrics
  • Comments
  • PDF

Related Articles

  • Scopus
  • PubMed
  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • No citing articles found.
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

  • Operationalizing Integrated Immunization and Family Planning Services in Rural Liberia: Lessons Learned From Evaluating Service Quality and Utilization
  • Role of Male Sex Partners in HIV Risk of Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Mozambique
  • Three Waves of Data Use Among Health Workers: The Experience of the Better Immunization Data Initiative in Tanzania and Zambia
Show more ORIGINAL ARTICLES

Similar Articles

US AIDJohns Hopkins Center for Communication ProgramsUniversity of Alberta

Follow Us On

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS

Articles

  • Current Issue
  • Advance Access Articles
  • Past Issues
  • Topic Collections
  • Most Read Articles
  • Supplements

More Information

  • Submit a Paper
  • Instructions for Authors
  • Instructions for Reviewers
  • GH Journals Database

About

  • About GHSP
  • Editorial Board
  • FAQs
  • Contact Us

© 2019 Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. ISSN: 2169-575X

Powered by HighWire