Stillbirth DAiSI Evaluation

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    Evaluation of a Stillbirth Reduction Digital Animation in Service Improvement (DAiSI)

  • IRAS ID

    324525

  • Contact name

    Kylie Watson

  • Contact email

    kylie.watson@manchester.ac.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    The University of Manchester

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    1 years, 0 months, 0 days

  • Research summary

    Summary of Research

    Reducing stillbirth in the United Kingdom (UK) is a national priority. Women from Black, Asian and migrant backgrounds are more likely to have a stillbirth than white British women. The reasons for this are complex but it is important that women receive clear important health messages about reducing the risk of stillbirth. The use of digital animation can communicate important health messages in an accessible way, improving consistency of information and overcoming language and health literacy barriers.  

    DAiSI (Digital Animation in Service Improvement) is a collection of short digital animations co-designed with migrant women to ensure they are sensitive to a range of cultures. We have co-produced a DAiSI to communicate key messages about behaviour modifications that can reduce the risk of stillbirth in English, Urdu and Arabic (www.daisi-research.co.uk).  

    To evaluate the Stillbirth DAiSI up to 30 English, Urdu, and Arabic speaking pregnant women, from ethnic minority backgrounds will be asked to take part in two telephone interviews. The first telephone interview will take place between 16-20 weeks of pregnancy. Women will be asked questions about their demographic background, knowledge of stillbirth and behaviours to reduce risk. Women will then be provided with a link to the Stillbirth DAiSI which they will be able to view as many times as they wish. A second telephone interview will take place between 24-28 weeks of pregnancy, where questions about their knowledge of stillbirth and behaviours to reduce risk will be repeated. Women will also be asked about their experience of using the Stillbirth DAiSI.   

    Data will be analysed to evaluate the impact of the Stillbirth DAiSI on improved knowledge, awareness and information recall about stillbirth risks and modifiable behaviours. In addition to, the accessibility and acceptability of the Stillbirth DAiSI for English, Urdu, and Arabic speaking women from ethnic minority backgrounds.

    Summary of Results

    In the UK, women from ethnic minority backgrounds are more likely to experience stillbirth (the death of a baby after 24 weeks of pregnancy) compared to White women. To help address this unequal outcome, a short digital animation was created to share important messages with women. The animation, called the Stillbirth DAISI, tells women about healthy behaviours that can reduce the risk of stillbirth. It is available in English, Arabic, and Urdu.

    This research wanted to find out i) if women found the animation an acceptable resource that was easy to use and ii) if the animation helped to increase knowledge about stillbirth and healthy behaviours to reduce risk.

    We spoke with 29 pregnant women from ethnic minority backgrounds who spoke Arabic, English, or Urdu. All women were sent the Stillbirth DAISI and found it easy to watch and understand. After watching the animation, all the women had increased knowledge about stillbirth and how to reduce the risk. The women found the animation useful, easy to understand, and culturally appropriate.

    We found that the Stillbirth DAISI is an effective way to communicate messages about stillbirth prevention in different languages to ethnic minority women. Digital animation is an acceptable, accessible and effective means of communicating health messages. Further studies are needed to see if this improvement in knowledge helps to reduce the rates of stillbirth.

  • REC name

    West of Scotland REC 3

  • REC reference

    23/WS/0084

  • Date of REC Opinion

    1 Jun 2023

  • REC opinion

    Favourable Opinion