Theoretical and Practical Implications of Communication in Community Engagement for Maternal and Newborn Health
Middle-Range Theories Developed in a Realist Evaluation
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21616111 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sara Dada (0000-0003-3910-1856, University College Dublin, corresponding author), Aoife De Brún (0000-0003-0124-0893, University College Dublin), Bellington Vwalika (0000-0001-5548-8187, University of Zambia), Brynne Gilmore (0000-0003-4496-9254, University College Dublin) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 41 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 320-335 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-28 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Health Communication (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1041-0236 • E-ISSN: 1532-7027 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/10410236.2025.2512926 |
| PMID | 40458927 |
| OpenAlex | W4411000104 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 99 |
Community engagement has been used in a variety of settings to work with communities to support maternal and newborn health (MNH) care-seeking. Communication is an important component of CE, influencing how information is shared or behavior change is promoted. However, there is limited evidence explaining "how, why and for whom" communication works in these approaches. This study presents middle-range theories (MRTs) explaining how communication in community engagement works to improve MNH care-seeking. Building off of a multi-site realist evaluation conducted in Zambia, this study further synthesizes seven programme theories with the substantive literature to present four MRTs. The MRTs, aligning with elements of the communication transmission model, describe the considerations that make communication in community engagement work by addressing the message, channel/feedback loops, sender, and receiver. These theories can contribute to explaining how communication in community engagement works and inform future programming by presenting practical recommendations
Community engagement · Developmental psychology · Environmental health · Health communication · Health services · Maternal health · Political science · Public relations · Communication · Community Health and Development · Engineering · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Medicine · Psychology · Service-Learning and Community Engagement · Social Psychology
The process and effects of mass communication.
Rameses publication standards
Community participation
The Health Belief Model as an Explanatory Framework in Communication Research
Culture-centeredness in community-based participatory research
Unpacking 'Participation'
Women's groups practising participatory learning and action to improve maternal and newborn health in low-resource settings
Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Determination in Human Behavior
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What’s in a name? Unpacking ‘Community Blank ’ terminology in reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health
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‘We are the bridge’
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The power of stories
Mass Media
The Health Belief Model and Sick Role Behavior
The development and implementation of a community engagement strategy to improve maternal health in southern Mozambique
Community mobilization to strengthen support for appropriate and timely use of antenatal and postnatal care
Utility of the three-delays model and its potential for supporting a solution-based approach to accessing intrapartum care in low- and middle-income countries. A qualitative evidence synthesis
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Exploring the role of community engagement in improving the health of disadvantaged populations
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Lessons learned from engaging communities for Ebola vaccine trials in Sierra Leone
Features and Impact of Trust-Based Relationships Between Community Health Workers and Low-Resource Perinatal Women with Chronic Health Conditions
The ethics and politics of community engagement in global health research
Understanding communication in community engagement for maternal and newborn health programmes in low- and middle-income countries
Is realist evaluation keeping its promise? A review of published empirical studies in the field of health systems research
Building a middle-range theory of free public healthcare seeking in sub-Saharan Africa
A systematic review of the literature for evidence on health facility committees in low- and middle-income countries
Developing middle-range theories within a realist evaluation of how health committees support community capacity for health
Self‐determination theory and work motivation
The diffusion of innovations
Primary health care, community participation and community-financing
Federally Sponsored Demonstrations of Technological Innovations
Generalized expectancies for interpersonal trust
A Ladder Of Citizen Participation
Narration as a human communication paradigm
Social Theory and Social Structure
Message Effects and Social Determinants of Health
Effects of externally mediated rewards on intrinsic motivation
Information, communication and equitable access to health care
Too far to walk
How a woman's interpersonal relationships can delay care-seeking and access during the maternity period in rural Zambia
Community mobilization to reduce postpartum hemorrhage in home births in northern Nigeria
Middle-range realism
What's in a Realist Configuration? Deciding Which Causal Configurations to Use, How, and Why
Data Analysis and Synthesis Within a Realist Evaluation
Community engagement with a postcolonial, African-based relational paradigm
Birds of a Feather
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |