Strategies for Measuring and Promoting Mothers' Social Support Networks

ABSTRACT

This chapter recommends respondent-driven sampling (RDS) and peer-driven intervention (PDI) as new strategies for improving safe motherhood and women's health in countries where women have limited access to information and communication technology. Strategies for measuring and promoting mothers' social support networks could be applied to enrich communication about reproductive health and safe motherhood, especially in countries where women's low social status leads to child marriage, low educational attainment/illiteracy, and limited access to modern information and communication technology. By using RDS to study communities and social network structures, outreach workers can educate women via women's social support groups, enhancing and broadening the use of modern information and communication technologies. RDS is a strategy that allows researchers to identify and focus on distinct groups within a community. PDI uses a two-step intervention where respondents are educated by outreach workers and previous participants (members of social support groups). Limitations of these approaches are also discussed.