BACKGROUND
Adolescent pregnancies and sexually-transmitted infections continue to impact 15 – 19-year-olds across the globe. The lack of sexual reproductive health information in resource-limited settings can often be due to cultural and societal attitudes to adolescent sexual reproductive health. Innovative approaches, including mobile phone technologies, are needed to address the need for adolescent reproductive health information.
OBJECTIVE
To design and develop a mobile app prototype to provide confidential adolescent reproductive health information on demand and evaluate its usability and user experience.
METHODS
A human-centered design methodology was applied. This practice framework allowed the perspectives and feedback of adolescent users to be included in the iterative design process. Field usability testing enabled the adolescents to provide feedback on the functionality, usability, and usefulness of the app.
RESULTS
During the usability test, 62 (54.9%) of the adolescents that were followed-up had used the app at least once, 30 (48.4%) of these were male participants and 32 (51.6%) female. The app was described as ‘very interesting’ to use by 44 (70.9%) participants, 20 male and 24 female. The content was deemed to be either ‘perfectly’ or ‘well targeted’ on sexual reproductive health by 60 (96.7%) adolescents, and the app was rated ‘best app’ by 45 (72.6%) adolescents, 27 female and 18 male, with a p-value = 0.011.
CONCLUSIONS
A mobile phone app is a feasible and acceptable way to deliver adolescent sexual reproductive health information in resource-limited settings. The USSD mobile phone technology could deliver confidential information on demand.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pregnancy, birth and sexual & reproductive health and rights: Perspectives from Germany and Somalia
