TY  - JOUR
AU  - Maliwichi, Priscilla
AU  - Chigona, Wallace
AU  - Sowon, Karen
PY  - 2021
DA  - 2021/10/6
TI  - Appropriation of mHealth Interventions for Maternal Health Care in Sub-Saharan Africa: Hermeneutic Review
JO  - JMIR Mhealth Uhealth
SP  - e22653
VL  - 9
IS  - 10
KW  - mHealth
KW  - appropriation
KW  - mobile phones
KW  - model of technology appropriation
KW  - maternal health
KW  - community of purpose
KW  - hermeneutic literature review
AB  - Background: Many maternal clients from poorly resourced communities die from preventable pregnancy-related complications. The situation is especially grave in sub-Saharan Africa. Mobile health (mHealth) interventions have the potential to improve maternal health outcomes. mHealth interventions are used to encourage behavioral change for health care–seeking by maternal clients. However, the appropriation of such interventions among maternal health clients is not always guaranteed. Objective: This study aims to understand how maternal clients appropriate mHealth interventions and the factors that affect this appropriation. Methods: This study used a hermeneutic literature review informed by the model of technology appropriation. We used data from three mHealth case studies in sub-Saharan Africa: Mobile Technology for Community Health, MomConnect, and Chipatala Cha Pa Foni. We used the search and acquisition hermeneutic circle to identify and retrieve peer-reviewed and gray literature from the Web of Science, Google Scholar, Google, and PubMed. We selected 17 papers for analysis. We organized the findings using three levels of the appropriation process: adoption, adaptation, and integration. Results: This study found that several factors affected how maternal clients appropriated mHealth interventions. The study noted that it is paramount that mHealth designers and implementers should consider the context of mHealth interventions when designing and implementing interventions. However, the usefulness of an mHealth intervention may enhance how maternal health clients appropriate it. Furthermore, a community of purpose around the maternal client may be vital to the success of the mHealth intervention. Conclusions: The design and implementation of interventions have the potential to exacerbate inequalities within communities. To mitigate against inequalities during appropriation, it is recommended that communities of purpose be included in the design and implementation of maternal mHealth interventions. 
SN  - 2291-5222
UR  - https://mhealth.jmir.org/2021/10/e22653
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/22653
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34612835
DO  - 10.2196/22653
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/22653
ER  -