ArticleBMC public health2019
Mobile phone short message service (SMS) as a malaria control tool: a quasi-experimental study.
Article in BMC public health, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 26 citations in OpenAlex.
- Tools, frameworks and resources to guide global action on strengthening rural health systems: a mapping review.Health research policy and systems · 2023Pooled it
- Trial
- Trial
- Digital Health as an Enabler of Personalized Medicine in Ghana: Gaps, Opportunities, and Future Directions.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Self-care strategies and interventions to address antimicrobial resistance: evidence review and recommendations for national programs, service providers, caregivers, and self-carers.Frontiers in public health · 2026Review
- Effect of a mobile phone-based interactive voice response on common childhood illnesses in Ghana: a quasi-experimental study.Reproductive health · 2025Article
- Article
- Evaluating barriers to reaching women with public health information in remote communities in Mali.BMC health services research · 2024Article
- Article
- Text Messaging Intervention for Mental Wellness in American Indian and Alaska Native Teens and Young Adults (BRAVE Study): Analysis of User Engagement Patterns.JMIR formative research · 2022Article
- Texting in a crisis-using SMS for information and emotional support during COVID-19: A mixed methods research study.Frontiers in sociology · 2022Article
- Digital Solutions for Community and Primary Health Workers: Lessons From Implementations in Africa.Frontiers in digital health · 2022Review
- ZIKV-Related Ideations and Modern Contraceptive Use: Cross-Sectional Evidence from the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2021Article
- Predictors of knowledge and use of long-lasting insecticidal nets for the prevention of malaria among the pregnant women in Pakistan.Malaria journal · 2021Article
- Morbidity management and surveillance of lymphatic filariasis disease and acute dermatolymphangioadenitis attacks using a mobile phone-based tool by community health volunteers in Ghana.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDespite the extensive implementation of control measures and achievements in morbidity reductions, malaria continues to contribute to substantial morbidity and mortality in children under-five. Innovative approaches involving the use of mobile phones have been suggested to improve health outcomes. However, evidence of its effect on reducing the prevalence of malaria is limited. This study, therefore, aimed to assess the effect of a theory-driven mHealth intervention on the prevalence of malaria among children under-five living in rural districts of Ghana.
methodsWe conducted a quasi-experimental study of a 12-month intervention using a random sample of 332 caregivers with children under-five from two rural districts, assigned to either an intervention or a control group. Caregivers in the intervention group received voice short message service (SMS) on malaria prevention based on a behavior change theory to improve their health behaviors and practice, once a week for twelve months, while caregivers in the control group received none. Pre- and post-intervention assessment of the treatment effect (ATT) on malaria in children under-five was conducted using propensity score and difference-in-difference (DiD) analyses.
resultsAmong children whose caregivers received the intervention, the prevalence of malaria decreased from 58.4% at baseline to 37.8% at endline (difference: -20.6%; 95% CI: - 31.1, - 10.1) compared with children in the control group, where a reduction of 65.0 to 59.9% (difference - 5.1%; 95% CI: - 15.5, 5.4) was observed. The treatment effect at endline revealed a statistically significant reduction in malaria prevalence (ATT: -0.214; 95% CI: - 0.36, - 0.07) compared with the baseline (ATT: -0.035; 95% CI: - 0.16, 0.09). Overall, the intervention effect showed a significant reduction in the prevalence of malaria among children under-five was positive (DiD: - 0.154; p = 0.043).
conclusionThe results of the study indicate the effectiveness of mobile phone SMS as a control tool for reducing the burden of malaria in children under-five.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.