Anaemia continues to be a major public health concern among adolescent girls in rural Bangladesh, largely driven by poor dietary intake and limited access to reliable health education.

A new randomised controlled trial suggests that mobile health, or mHealth, education may offer a practical and scalable solution to this persistent challenge.

The study was conducted in Chandpur district and followed 138 adolescent girls with mild to moderate anaemia over an eight-month period. Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention group, which received structured mHealth education, and a control group, which received usual care. The intervention combined online group counselling sessions with regular phone calls and SMS-based health messaging delivered by trained community health workers.

The research team designed the study collaboratively, with MJR, MMR, MK, and YS leading the study design. Statistical analysis was carried out by MJR, MHRS, and MMR, while YS, RM, MT, HK, MA, AA, MRJ, and MDHH contributed to interpreting the findings. The development of health education content and materials was also a collective effort, involving Md Jiaur Rahman, Md Moshiur Rahman, Mohammad Habibur Rahman Sarker, Ryota Matsuyama.

The intervention focused on improving dietary behaviour, nutritional awareness, and hygiene practices linked to anaemia prevention. Participants received interactive online counselling sessions alongside monthly educational materials, while community health workers provided structured mobile support through calls and SMS messages. This approach was designed to ensure continuity of care while remaining accessible through basic mobile technology.

Results from the trial showed meaningful improvements in several health indicators among participants in the intervention group. Significant gains were observed in body mass index, mid-upper arm circumference, waist circumference, and hip circumference compared with the control group. Although haemoglobin levels improved in the intervention group, the change was not statistically significant. However, anaemia recovery rates were notably higher in the intervention group, with 25.8% recovering compared to 13.6% in the control group.

Beyond physical health outcomes, the intervention had a strong impact on knowledge, attitude, and practice related to anaemia. Participants who received mHealth education demonstrated significantly higher improvements across all three domains, indicating that mobile-based communication can effectively influence health-related behaviour in adolescents.

The study was conducted using rigorous methods, including school-based randomisation, laboratory-confirmed haemoglobin measurements, and advanced statistical modelling to ensure reliable results. It was funded by the Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Programme (KAKENHI), Japan (grant Kiban-C #22K10362).

The most important finding is that mHealth education can meaningfully improve anaemia recovery and health behaviours among adolescent girls, even in rural and resource-limited settings. While changes in haemoglobin levels were modest, the improvements in recovery rates and behavioural outcomes highlight the potential of mobile-based interventions as a cost-effective public health tool for addressing nutritional anaemia at scale.