Effectiveness of Mobile Health Education Platforms in Promoting Antenatal Attendance in Rural Communities of Katsina State

Mobile health technologies present new opportunities for extending health education to rural populations who are typically underserved by conventional outreach systems. This study evaluated the effectiveness of mobile health education platforms in promoting antenatal care attendance in rural communities of Katsina State, North West Nigeria. A quasi-experimental design was used, with 160 pregnant women in their first or second trimester recruited from communities in Kankara, Musawa, and Bindawa local government areas. The experimental group received short message service-based antenatal health education messages over 16 weeks, while the control group received routine care only. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and antenatal card reviews at baseline and post-intervention. Results showed that women in the experimental group attended significantly more antenatal visits and were more likely to have completed at least four visits by 36 weeks gestation compared to controls (p less than 0.05). Knowledge of danger signs in pregnancy was also significantly higher in the intervention group. Mobile phone ownership was high at 84 percent in the study communities, supporting feasibility. The study recommended integration of short message service-based health education into routine antenatal care delivery in Katsina State as a low-cost, scalable strategy. Keywords: mobile health education, antenatal care, rural communities, Katsina State, maternal health