In 2010 and 2011, an SMS campaign was carried out in rural Uganda by TTC and HIPS (Health Initiatives in the Private Sector) among employees of Kinyara and KCCL, two of the most important factories of Uganda. In total over 3000 people participated in the quiz. Results of this survey have shown a significant positive change in knowledge levels on health topics like of malaria, tuberculosis and HIV.

How did it work?
Around May 2010, a total of 35 questions have been sent out to the participant’s mobile phones. On most of the questions, participants replied with the correct answer. However, we extracted 3 questions on which the participants had a lot of difficulty in finding the correct reply and we decided to resend those questions to the same 3099 participants after a year’s time in May 2011. The response rate was 36%. See below for an example of the questions:

If you have a cough for more than 3 weeks, you could have Tuberculosis (TB)
1. True
2. False

Participants replied free of charge to our toll free shortcode and had to provide their answer, either true of false. If the participant replied incorrectly, he or she would receive a new message with the right answer and some additional information. The aim was to assess the levels of change in knowledge of different topics like malaria, tuberculosis and HIV. For all 3 questions there was a significant increase in knowledge levels. For example, on the question whether insecticide treated mosquito nets are harmful for children,  44.7% got the answer right in the first contact (ie not harmful) and in the second contact 85% got it right. 

The following figure represents the change in correct replies between the first contact and the repeated contact among Kinyara and KCCL employees:

By using a simple technology like SMS we have shown that results can be measured, one of the greatest advantages and opportunities of using SMS in development aid.

A note has to be made that throughout the year, HIPS organizes health fairs among the employees, that might have a positive effect on peoples knowledge levels. However, health fairs do not cover the total workforce and most of the participants of the TTC SMS quiz are people that work in the field.

Next to this we have conducted extensive scientific research and at the moment we are in the final stage of analyzing its data. We will keep you updated as soon as the results are published.

Health Initiatives for the Private Sector (HIPS) project works with the Ugandan business community to find cost-effective ways in which to access vital health services for company employees, their dependants and the surrounding community members. HIPS works with companies to design and implement comprehensive health workplace programmes, with a particular focus on HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria, reproductive health and family planning.

Kinyara Sugar Works Ltd. is a private held sugar manufacturer and it is the second-largest in Uganda.

Kasese Cobalt Company Ltd. (KCCL) was formed in 1992 as a corporate entity with the government of Uganda to recover cobalt metal from an unstable stockpile of a cobalt-rich sulphide concentrate (pyrite).