Ghana Case Study: Maternal and Infant Health Programmes for Young Rural Women

This online report provides survey data from AudienceScapes that outlines demographic and behavioural characteristics of young women in Ghana, which the report argues can provide helpful guidance to development groups seeking to reach young women with public health information. Alongside this survey data, the report provides recommendations and lessons for communication campaigns working to reach young rural Ghanaian women with maternal and infant health information. According to the report, young rural women are relatively poor and uneducated compared to the total survey sample, with low access to media and information and communication technologies, few speak English, though most speak languages of the country's predominant Akan group.

The survey showed that that a full quarter of young rural women said they had not gotten any information on maternal and infant health in the last year. In addition, less than 10% expressed any level of dissatisfaction with the information currently available to them. This means that development groups face the challenge of generating interest and involvement among a population that does not believe it has a great need for such information. With this in mind, the report states that it is critical that communication campaigns work with and through trusted sources such as medical doctors so that women take the information seriously.

The survey also found that radio and doctors were the most common sources of health information for rural young women, but even these sources had limited reach. With one third of respondents saying they discuss health topics with a doctor, projects aimed at extending doctors' communication reach may have a meaningful impact.

According to the report, young rural women face many obstacles to better maternal and infant health that need to be considered when designing programmes and outreach activities. These obstacles include below-average incomes, limited education and access to information, and difficult living conditions. For example, rural young women typically have lower access to electricity, sanitation facilities, and safe, convenient water sources.

In addition to taking sanitary and infrastructural limitations into account, the report recommends that programmes must also consider how someone in such an environment gets information: most commonly radio, doctors, TV, or friends and family. However, the study also showed that information about maternal and infant health did not reach much more than half of young rural women through any of these sources.

Bearing all this in mind, the erport recommends that development organisations involved in public health should consider a multi-pronged approach to public education. The report suggests combining radio, TV, outreach, and mobile technology. Specifically, programme developers should focus on radio stations preferred by young rural women and broadcast in Akan languages; support an outreach programme with doctors and/or health professionals to increase young rural women's engagement with them; make better use of mobile phones, particularly though toll-free call-in services; and develop television programmes, as 50% of young rural women said they have access to a TV at home.