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Mobile phone usage and willingness to receive mental health support through mobile phones among perinatal mothers in rural Bihar, India.


 BACKGROUND
 The increasing usage of mobile phones has created unique opportunities to provide health information dissemination and other interventions even to the remote places.
 
 
 OBJECTIVE
 The aim of the current study as to examine the mobile phone usage among ante- and post- natal mothers in rural Bihar and their willingness to receive health information and mental health counseling through mobile phones.
 
 
 METHODS
 The current study was conducted in four village panchayats, selected by convenience sampling, in Dalsinghsarai Taluk, Samastipur district, Bihar. A total of 50 ante- and post- natal mothers were interviewed after obtaining a written informed consent. A semi-structed performa was developed, in consultation with the mental health professionals, community level workers, village heads and lay people, to gather relevant information from the study participants. Descriptive statistical tests were used to analyze the data.
 
 
 RESULTS
 Analysis shows that the study participants’ average years of education was 5.4±3.6. Nearly 98% of the households of the interviewed study participants had at least one mobile phone while 84% of the study participants had separate personal mobile phones for themselves and had autonomy to use. 90% of the mobile phones in use are modular type. Nearly 98% of the study participants reported willingness to receive health information and mental health counseling through mobile phones.
 
 
 CONCLUSIONS
 The results of the current study indicate that there is high mobile phone usage in rural Bihar and majority of the ante- and post- natal mothers own and use them with autonomy. They have also shown interest in receiving heath interventions through mobile phones. Novel and innovative approaches could be developed to tap into this potential avenue to promote and deliver health information and could be scaled up for wider audience at low cost.
