Exposure of mobile phones and mass media in maternal health services use in developing nations: evidence from Urban Health Survey 2013 of Bangladesh

Communications through mobile phones and mass media have shown to be useful for health promotion activities in developing nations. This study explored the potential association of mothers’ mobile phone ownership and mass media exposure on maternal health care services in a developing nation setting: urban Bangladesh. The Urban Health Survey 2013 was examined for antenatal care, delivery assistance, and postnatal care of both mothers and children through multiple regression models, adjusting for sociodemographic factors. Among 8987 ever-married female respondents, 64.1% owned mobile phones and 88% were exposed to mass media (TV, radio or newspaper) at least once a week. Mobile phone ownership was associated with a 48% greater likelihood of access to antenatal care, 34% greater delivery assistance and 31% greater postnatal care of the mother, but no differences were found for postnatal care of children. Similarly, frequent media exposure was associated with increased access to antenatal care (38%) and delivery assistance (46%), but not associated with postnatal care of mothers or children. The results suggested that mobile phones and mass media could be valid avenues for promoting access to maternal health services, and thus, support for mobile phone access and investment in awareness campaigns targeting relevant communities are worthwhile.