The aim is to deliver a digital health literacy intervention to disadvantaged women to improve their health behaviors with regard to (i) hygiene and sanitation, and (ii) coronavirus awareness and prevention in four provinces of Pakistan through women community health workers.
There is a need to continue primary healthcare services through digital communication for
disadvantaged women living in underdeveloped areas of Pakistan, especially in the age of
coronavirus pandemic, social distancing, and lockdown of communities. This project will be
the first of its kind in aiming to provide women with a smartphone and digital access for a
digital health literacy intervention through community healthcare workers. The majority of
poor women in Pakistan who are dependent on primary health services: 1. suffer from health
challenges more than men due to multiple social and structural disadvantages, 2. are the
dominant care-providers and nurturers in the home, and 3. need support in understanding
public health messages during health crises due to low health literacy and awareness. The
digital health literacy intervention will be delivered in target two areas: (i) hygiene and
sanitation, and (ii) coronavirus awareness and prevention. Women will be sampled from
disadvantaged areas across the four provinces of Pakistan- Baluchistan, KPK, Punjab, and
Sindh. A target of 1,000 women will comprise the sample with 500 women each assigned to the
control and experiment group.
Behavioral: Digital Health Literacy Intervention
Willing women participants will be provided equipment with instructions for the intervention, including a smartphone and a 4G Wifi gadget. The health literacy intervention, delivered to the experiment group, will last three months and will include a combination of the following four components:
Component 1: Health literacy video tutorial. Component 2: Virtual one-on-one weekly meetings. Component 3: Monthly group virtual meetings and Whatsapp group. Component 4: Provision and guidance of a self-management chart.
Inclusion Criteria:
- Disadvantaged women dependent on primary healthcare services
- Women of the reproductive age group, 15 years to 49 years
Exclusion Criteria:
- Women above 49 years
Forman Christian College University
Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan