Background: Many maternal clients from poorly resourced communities die from preventable pregnancy-related complications. The situation is especially grave in sub-Saharan Africa. Mobile health (mHealth) interventions have the potential to improve maternal health outcomes. mHealth interventions are used to encourage behavioral change for health care–seeking by maternal clients. However, the appropriation of such interventions among maternal health clients is not always guaranteed. Objective: This study aims to understand how maternal clients appropriate mHealth interventions and the factors that affect this appropriation. Methods: This study used a hermeneutic literature review informed by the model of technology appropriation. We used data from three mHealth case studies in sub-Saharan Africa: Mobile Technology for Community Health, MomConnect, and Chipatala Cha Pa Foni. We used the search and acquisition hermeneutic circle to identify and retrieve peer-reviewed and gray literature from the Web of Science, Google Scholar, Google, and PubMed. We selected 17 papers for analysis. We organized the findings using three levels of the appropriation process: adoption, adaptation, and integration. Results: This study found that several factors affected how maternal clients appropriated mHealth interventions. The study noted that it is paramount that mHealth designers and implementers should consider the context of mHealth interventions when designing and implementing interventions. However, the usefulness of an mHealth intervention may enhance how maternal health clients appropriate it. Furthermore, a community of purpose around the maternal client may be vital to the success of the mHealth intervention. Conclusions: The design and implementation of interventions have the potential to exacerbate inequalities within communities. To mitigate against inequalities during appropriation, it is recommended that communities of purpose be included in the design and implementation of maternal mHealth interventions.

Background: The growth of mobile technology in developing countries, coupled with pressing maternal health care challenges, has led to a widespread implementation of maternal mobile health (mHealth) innovations. However, reviews generating insights on how the characteristics of the interventions influence use are scarce. Objective: This study aims to review maternal mHealth interventions in Kenya to explore the influence of intervention design and implementation characteristics on use by maternal health clients. We also provide a starting inventory for maternal mHealth interventions in the country. Methods: Using a systematic approach, we retrieved a total of 1100 citations from both peer-reviewed and gray sources. Articles were screened on the basis of an inclusion and exclusion criterion, and the results synthesized by categorizing and characterizing the interventions presented in the articles. The first phase of the literature search was conducted between January and April 2019, and the second phase was conducted between April and June 2021. Results: A total of 16 articles were retrieved, comprising 13 maternal mHealth interventions. The study highlighted various mHealth design and implementation characteristics that may influence the use of these interventions. Conclusions: In addition to elaborating on insights that would be useful in the design and implementation of future interventions, this study contributes to a local inventory of maternal mHealth interventions that may be useful to researchers and implementers in mHealth. This study highlights the need for explanatory studies to elucidate maternal mHealth use, while complementing existing evidence on mHealth effectiveness.

The telecentre model was established to provide information and communication technology (ICT) skills to empower people, reduce poverty and unemployment in poor areas. Our study explored the relevance of telecentres as an ideal mechanism to empower women. Our study investigated how telecentres can contribute to women’s empowerment by analysing five telecentres in rural settings of the Western Cape, South Africa. A qualitative approach was adopted using semi-structured in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and participant observation to collect data from 39 participants. The Dimensions of Empowerment Theory was used to describe the various empowerment outcomes. These include economic, social, informational, political, and cultural empowerment. The findings showed barriers hindering women’s utilization of telecentres included a lack of computer skills, education, language barriers, gender usage patterns, unemployment, and a lack of awareness. Our study contributes to the ICT4D/HCI gender field and suggests that ICT policymakers consider using telecentres for women empowerment.

Purpose: This paper aims to assess the usage pattern of telecentres, how rural women frame telecentres and barriers that limit use of telecentres. Further, the study examined the effects of demographic characteristics and location on telecentre usage. Design/methodology/approach: The study used a sequential mixed research design in three rural districts surrounding telecentres: Kongwa, Sengerema and Kilosa districts. The study population comprised rural women who were users and non-users of telecentres. The study conducted six focus group discussions (FGDs) with 37 users and six FGDs with 36 non-users in the first phase of the study in 2014; questionnaires were administered to 90 users and 90 non-users in the second phase of the study in 2015. Findings: The primary use of telecentres among users was to access internet (71.4 per cent, n = 60), followed by information and communication technology (ICT) training courses (63.1 per cent, n = 53) and secretarial purposes (63.1 per cent, n = 53). Rural women used internet for educational purposes, followed by news, information on health issues, job opportunities, social and entertainment issues. Rural women currently using internet were more likely to be better educated (ß = 1.926, p = 0.001) and have higher incomes (ß = 5.318, p = 0.021) at both bivariate and multivariate analysis. Users indicated that they faced the following barriers towards using telecentre: short duration of ICT training, frequent power outages, low speed of internet and few computers at the telecentres. Non-users were not using telecentres because of lack of ICT skills and language barriers. Originality/value: This study provides empirical evidence to telecentres, libraries and other rural ICT initiatives to design rural ICT services that are gender-sensitive and demand-driven.