Analysis: Mobile Health Approaches to Non-Communicable Diseases in Rwanda

Abstract

Rwanda is affected by a substantial dual burden of a rapid epidemiological rise in non-communicable  diseases (NCDs) against the backdrop of high infectious disease rates. The Global Burden of Disease study showed that premature deaths due to NCDs such as diabetes and hypertension are increasing, accounting for 30% of all deaths in Rwanda in 2010. The usefulness of mHealth interventions has been shown for reducing adverse effects of diabetes and hypertension. Because Rwanda RapidSMS system is already successfully operating in maternal, neonatal and child health, it would be cost-effective to leverage this infrastructure and adapt it for the NCD domain. However, rigorous evaluations of the efficacy of mHealth intervention in the area of NCDs are limited. Hence, developing a robust mHealth intervention study is urgent through a contextual combination of quantitative and qualitative study designs.This paper highlights the significance of the problem of NCDs, usefulness of mHealth interventions for stemming diabetes and hypertension, and an urgent need for research on using mHealth interventions for prevention of NCDs in Rwanda. Carefully conducted research on the efficacy and effectiveness of mHealth intervention will have ramifications for the evidence based policy, decision making, practice and research in other LMICs.

Key words: NCDs, Diabetes, Hypertension, mHealth intervention, Africa, Rwanda