mHealth Interventions Improve Knowledge and Health Behavior and Reduce Postpartum Complications

Abstract

Early discharge of postpartum mothers reduces opportunities for comprehensive education, increasing the risk of complications due to inadequate self-care. This study evaluated the effectiveness of an m-Health application in improving knowledge and self-care behavior among postpartum mothers and examined their roles in reducing postpartum complications. A quasi-experimental non-equivalent control group design was used, involving 120 mothers (60 intervention, 60 control) recruited from four community health centers in Semarang City through purposive sampling. The intervention was the m-Health application, with knowledge and self-care behavior as mediators and postpartum complications as the outcome. Data were analyzed using ANCOVA. Results showed that the m-Health intervention significantly improved both knowledge (p=0.01) and self-care behavior (p=0.01). It also significantly reduced postpartum complications across all observation periods. Self-care behavior acted as a significant protective factor during days 3–7 (p=0.04), days 8–28 (p=0.00), and days 29–42 (p=0.00). In contrast, knowledge alone did not significantly affect complication reduction in any period. These findings indicate that m-Health interventions are effective in enhancing postpartum self-care and reducing complications, primarily through promoting adaptive health behaviors rather than knowledge improvement alone.