Closing the digital divide improves births

“Evidence shows that when women in low income or under-developed regions have access to their own mobile phone, they have healthier pregnancies and healthier babies at birth.” Luca Maria Pesando, PhD.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 20 million low birth weight babies are born annually. A baby is considered low birth weight when weighing less than 2.5 kilograms (5.5 pounds) at birth regardless of gestational age.

Statistics Canada estimates the average rate of low birth weight live births is six per cent. Over the past 14 years, low birth weights have increased somewhat for both male and female infants, with females seeing a slightly higher increase.

Low birth weight can result from a number of factors, including premature birth, growth restriction in utero, multiple births, and maternal health necessities like access to adequate calories and nutritious foods.

These infants may experience respiratory distress, feeding issues, low blood sugar levels, an increased risk of infection, and are at a higher risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). They may also experience longer-term health issues like diabetes, heart disease, asthma, hearing issues, and blindness.

That’s why it is imperative that pregnant women have access to universal health care, including midwives, and access to sufficient nutritious foods and safe water supplies.

But a new innovative study has McGill University researchers proposing an additional resource to ensure healthy mother and baby outcomes – a personal cell phone.

“Our evidence shows that when women in low income or under-developed regions have access to their own mobile phone, they have healthier pregnancies and healthier babies at birth,” said Luca Maria Pesando, adjunct professor in McGill’s department of Sociology and associate professor of Social Research and Public Policy at New York University (Abu Dhabi).

Pesando, who collaborated with McGill University PhD student Komin Qiyomiddin, found that, “Phones open up a whole range of possibilities for knowledge that were not possible a decade ago.”

Their findings highlight the importance of ensuring strong internet and cell phone connectivity for women living in rural and remote communities in Canada. This is particularly true for Indigenous communities in the far north.

Pesando is calling on governments, lawmakers and phone companies to make cell phones and data plans more accessible, particularly in regions where low birth weights are prevalent.

His ongoing research into using digital technologies to empower women living in resource-deprived areas is being presented at the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences (Congress 2023), Canada’s largest academic gathering, taking place May 27 to June 2 at York University in Toronto.

While mobile phones are increasingly available to those with lower incomes, network coverage remains sparse and can be intermittent at best in remote areas. Data plans, integral for access in areas outside the range of available wi-fi networks, can be prohibitively expensive.

Pesando’s study showed that even without internet access and a full-featured smart-phone, women and their babies are benefitting from simple mobile connectivity. Access to a broader community, expanded information-gathering strategies, as well as connections with reproductive health services, can lead to better outcomes for mother and baby.

“We consistently found that higher cell phone usage translated to a lower share of babies born with a low birth weight, and some of the strongest positive associations between mobile phone ownership and babies’ health at birth were among the poorest and least educated women, as well as among the most resource-deprived countries,” said Pesando.

The researcher emphasized the importance for women to have access to their own independent cell phone. The study found that when a woman shared a phone with her husband or partner, the benefits were stunted. Those benefits include expanded knowledge of pregnancy risks, how to stay healthy, and the ability to connect remotely with women in their community. 

To study the relationship between cell phone access, pregnancy and birth weight, Pesando analyzed existing data from representative samples of women in their reproductive ages in 29 low-income countries. The data was gathered by the global Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) program.

Variables examined included the number of prenatal visits conducted, whether the birth of a child was assisted by a health professional or a home birth, and to what extent mothers used mobile phones to receive family planning text messages.

One key finding was that a basic cell phone can have extremely positive intergeneration health benefits.

“Better health at birth translates into better health through life, meaning the next generation workforce will be able to lead better lives. Phones don’t just benefit women, they benefit their children too,” Pesando observed.

For Canadians, the findings underscore the need to continue to focus efforts on closing Canada’s digital divides which prevent many rural and Indigenous communities from reliably accessing growing online information and services.

The most recent report from the Office of the Auditor General states that 60 per cent of Canadians living in rural and remote areas have access to minimum internet speeds. That number drops to 43 per cent for First Nations communities in the same regions. That means digital services are unreliable at worst and of poor quality at best.  

The vast majority of phones used in the 29 countries surveyed by Pesando were simple feature phones suggesting improved communication was the real benefit.

The few women with access to smart-phones benefitted from internet connectivity providing access to search engines, as well as to emerging digital health platforms that provided daily tips and text reminders like which vitamins to take.

“We’re talking about communities within a high-income country, and yet, when we look at how the biggest digital divides affect people’s ability to access timely mental health resources or their ability to report domestic violence as quickly as possible, our findings illustrate that better access to mobile phones and the mobile internet may empower people and ultimately improve their well-being,” shared Pesando.

This article was first published on rabble.ca.