The Role of Participatory Communication in Tracking Unreported Reproductive Tract Issues in Marginalized Communities

Abstract

Vertical models of communication and information transfer have the tenacity to be static and have proven ineffective to reach those living in the lower socioeconomic group of the society. In this context, a fluid model that emphasizes participation and communicative action is more meaningful for information sharing and knowledge gathering. The study proposes the informate–communicate–educate framework to serve as a guide for developing Information and Communication Technologies applications and mHealth solutions. Based on this framework, an mHealth application (K-unit Health Information Dashboard (KHID)) is developed to facilitate the reporting and tracking of reproductive health issues among women living in marginalized communities in the State of Kerala, India. Through a participatory process that uses the horizontal model of communication, the paper demonstrates how the KHID application enables knowledge sharing, and disease surveillance to address reproductive health issues.

Keywords:

• participatory communication
• reproductive health
• mobile phone
• ICT
• mHealth

Notes on contributors

Manoj A. Thomas is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Information Systems at Virginia Commonwealth University. He holds a Ph.D in Information Systems, Masters in Information Systems, Masters of Business Administration and Bachelors in Engineering. His primary research interests are knowledge engineering, semantic systems, content management and ICT4D. He has published in many practitioner and academic journals, and has presented at various information systems conferences.

Poornima Narayan R is an Associate Professor in the Department of General Management at The School of Communication and Management Studies, Kerala, India. Her research interests include participatory development, reproductive health and gender issues in health systems. She is involved in research projects of the Ministry of Human Resources Development, Government of India, The State Planning Board and also other Research Foundations in India.