Funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia and implemented by International Centre for Reproductive Health–Kenya (ICRHK), the WHISPER/SHOUT Clinical Trial was conducted in Mombasa County.
The study aimed to improve the health and well-being of female sex workers in resource-constrained settings by evaluating the effectiveness of two mobile phone delivered interventions:
- WHISPER, designed to prevent unintended pregnancies and improve sexual and reproductive health (SRH); and
- SHOUT, focused on improving nutritional health outcomes.
Impact
Through this innovative digital health trial, ICRHK:
- Leveraged mobile technologyto reach female sex workers with tailored, accessible health information and behavioral nudges.
- Assessed the effectivenessof mobile-based SRH interventions in reducing unintended pregnancies compared to nutrition-focused interventions.
- Evaluated improvements in nutritional outcomesamong participants receiving health messages on diet and wellbeing.
- Generated evidenceon the feasibility and impact of SMS-based interventions to address intersecting SRH and nutrition challenges among vulnerable populations.
- Contributed to scalable modelsfor using mobile health tools to enhance women’s health outcomes in low-resource urban contexts.
