Timely and Effective Reminder and uptake of Accessible and Effective Antenatal Care (ANC) among Women and Girls in Rural Tanzania

Last registered on April 01, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Timely and Effective Reminder and uptake of Accessible and Effective Antenatal Care (ANC) among Women and Girls in Rural Tanzania
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0017672
Initial registration date
March 30, 2026

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
April 01, 2026, 10:44 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Maria Laura Alzua
Affiliation
CEDLAS-Universidad Nacional de La Plata
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Phyllis Machio
PI Affiliation
University of Nairobi
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Doris Macha
PI Affiliation

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2026-04-30
End date
2026-12-31
Keywords
Health
Additional Keywords
Antenatal care services
JEL code(s)
I12, I15, J13
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of timely and effective reminder of next antenatal visit on uptake of accessible and effective antenatal care (ANC) services among women and girls in rural Tanzania. This study will evaluate a project being implemented by Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief (CPAR) Tanzania. The program is being implemented in selected regions of Karatu and Mbulu Districts of rural Tanzania. The CPAR intervention involves providing pregnant women and adolescent girls with accessible and effective ANC, including routine ultrasounds through mobile clinics that will pass through the selected districts. This project targets women who will come for the ANC and ultrasound. During the visits to the mobile clinics, we will conduct baseline survey on all the women who will come and who will be willing to participate. These women will then be randomly allocated into two groups: the control and the treatment group. The treatment group will receive a short message service (SMS) reminder a few days before the date of their next ANC visit and a follow up call by a specialized nurse. The control group will receive no reminder. We will evaluate whether SMS reminder and nurse call positively affects uptake of ANC and skilled delivery care services.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Alzua, Maria Laura, Doris Macha and Phyllis Machio. 2026. "Timely and Effective Reminder and uptake of Accessible and Effective Antenatal Care (ANC) among Women and Girls in Rural Tanzania ." AEA RCT Registry. April 01. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.17672-1.0
Sponsors & Partners

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of timely and effective reminder of next antenatal visit on uptake of accessible and effective antenatal care (ANC) services among women and girls in rural Tanzania. This study will evaluate a project being implemented by Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief (CPAR) Tanzania. The program is being implemented in selected regions of Karatu and Mbulu Districts of rural Tanzania. The CPAR intervention involves providing pregnant women and adolescent girls with accessible and effective ANC, including routine ultrasounds through mobile clinics that will pass through the selected districts. This project targets women who will come for the ANC and ultrasound. During the visits to the mobile clinics, we will conduct baseline survey on all the women who will come and who will be willing to participate. These women will then be randomly allocated into two groups: the control and the treatment group. The treatment group will receive a short message service (SMS) reminder a few days before the date of their next ANC visit and a follow up call by a specialized nurse. The control group will receive no reminder. We will evaluate whether SMS reminder and nurse call positively affects uptake of ANC and skilled delivery care services.
Intervention Start Date
2026-04-30
Intervention End Date
2026-12-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
1- Increased uptake of ANC, including routine ultrasound, for rural women in select districts of Tanzania:
a. Number of ultrasounds
b. Number of visits
c. Number of consults
2- Increased uptake of skilled delivery care services for rural women in select districts of Tanzania
a. % of women with institutional deliveries
b. % of women seeking care in health centers
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
Heterogeneity Analysis:
The sample size permits analysis by first time vs. not first-time mothers.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Perceptions and attitudes towards prenatal care.
Social norms towards prenatal care
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)
1-Understanding women’s attitudes and perceptions of ANC
2-Understanding women’s perceptions of usefulness of ANC for promoting child and maternal health
outcomes
3- Understanding women’s perceptions of pregnancy and childbirth risks

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The CPAR intervention involves providing pregnant women and adolescent girls with accessible and effective
ANC, including routine ultrasounds through mobile clinics that will pass through the selected districts. This project
targets women who will come for the ANC and ultrasound. During the visits to the mobile clinics, we will conduct
baseline survey on all the women who will come and who will be willing to participate. These women will then be
randomly allocated into two groups: the control and the treatment group. The treatment group will receive a short
message service (SMS) reminder a few days before the date of their next ANC visit and a follow up call by a
specialized nurse. The control group will receive no reminder. We will evaluate whether SMS reminder and nurse
call positively affects uptake of ANC and skilled delivery care services.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Baseline data will be collected at the point of care. PEP enumerators will collect baseline data information
including socio demographic information for 2000 women. After that, the group will be randomly
assigned to the reminder group and to the control group.
Follow up information will be collected one year after the intervention.
The unit of randomization is the woman going for the CPAR services.
Randomization Unit
Individual randomization: women serviced by CPAR
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
2000 women
Sample size: planned number of observations
2000 women
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
A sample of 2000 women will be randomized into tratment and control group.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
We are considering a MDE of 0.15, with alpha=0.05. Considering 10% attrition and 10% dropout rate, we need 2000 women to achieve 0.80 power.
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
CEDLAS-FCE-UNLP
IRB Approval Date
2026-01-15
IRB Approval Number
N/a
Analysis Plan