Machine learning and natural language processing for the identification of potential mental disorders among school-age children: a prospective birth cohort study.

Globally, 1.1 billion of the 1.9 billion women between the ages of 15 and 49 require family planning. According to the United Nations, over 164 million people have unmet needs for family planning []. The proportion of women globally whose family planning needs are covered by modern means peaked at almost 77% between 2015 and 2022 []. Sub-Saharan Africa, however, had minor growth throughout the same period, rising from 52% to 58%, and this data point is crucial to achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.7.1 which focuses on ensuring universal access to sexual and reproductive health care services [, ]. In 2024, 49% of people worldwide used contraceptives, with sub-Saharan Africa coming in last at 29% []. In sub-Saharan Africa, the prevalence of contraception is low and the unmet need for contraception is high; therefore, access to and use of family planning services continue to be significant public health concerns []. Misconceptions, rumours, myths, or misperceptions regarding modern contraceptive methods and use, gender and stigma towards young people, unmarried people seeking contraception, male-dominated decision-making in reproductive health, and restricted access to proper information are some of the obstacles [–]. Mobile phone features like privacy, portability, and ubiquity may help get past some of these obstacles; therefore, using them to spread family planning information has potential []. Capitalising on the rapid expansion of mobile phone usage in sub-Saharan Africa, mobile health (mHealth) interventions, particularly those delivered via Short Message Service (SMS), are being used more frequently to encourage reproductive health behaviours. SMS interventions are attractive for reaching young people and rural populations because they permit confidential contact, act as reminders, and offer personalised health education to men and women of reproductive age across the full spectrum of modern contraceptive methods [, ]. The effectiveness of SMS interventions in enhancing modern contraceptive knowledge and uptake is supported by a growing body of evidence. For example, Rokicki et al. found that both unidirectional and bidirectional SMS messages significantly improved contraceptive knowledge at three months, with gains persisting at fifteen months, and that bidirectional communication outperformed unidirectional messaging in improving reproductive health awareness [–]. McConnell et al. similarly reported increased postpartum contraceptive use among new mothers in Kenya following SMS appointment reminders. Compared to mass media campaigns of comparable reach, SMS interventions offer a more targeted and adaptable approach to improving family planning knowledge at considerably lower cost [].