scholarly journals Using SMS text messaging to assess moderators of smoking reduction: Validating a new tool for ecological measurement of health behaviors.

2011 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 186-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elliot T. Berkman ◽  
Janna Dickenson ◽  
Emily B. Falk ◽  
Matthew D. Lieberman
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Havisha Pedamallu ◽  
Matthew J. Ehrhardt ◽  
Julia Maki ◽  
April Idalski Carcone ◽  
Melissa M. Hudson ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Motivational interviewing is an effective strategy to mitigate chronic disease risk through promotion of health behavior changes. However, multiple barriers impede its delivery to and uptake by patients. mHealth-based versions of motivational interviewing interventions, or technology-delivered adaptations of motivational interviewing (TAMIs), might increase reach, but their effectiveness is less well-understood. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this narrative review was to characterize the extent to which TAMIs: (1) affect behavioral outcomes, (2) have included individuals from populations that have been marginalized, and (3) have addressed socio-contextual influences on health. METHODS We identified studies indexed in PubMed that described interventions incorporating motivational interviewing techniques into a mobile or electronic health platform. Data were abstracted from eligible studies, including target population characteristics, study design and eligibility criteria, theoretical/conceptual models utilized, mHealth tool details, and effects on behavioral outcomes. RESULTS Thirty-three studies reported the use of TAMIs. Sample sizes ranged from 10 to 2,069 participants ages 13 to 70 years. Most studies (n=24) directed interventions towards individuals engaging in behaviors that increased the risk of chronic disease. Most studies oversampled (n=18) individuals from marginalized socio-demographic groups, but few were designed specifically with marginalized groups in mind (n=3). TAMIs utilized text messaging (n=7), web-based (n=19), app + text messaging (n=1), and web-based + text messaging (n=3) delivery platforms. Twenty-seven (90%) included randomized controlled trials reporting behavioral and health-related outcomes, 21 of which reported statistically significant improvements in targeted behaviors with the use of TAMIs. TAMIs improved targeted health behaviors in the remaining 3 studies. Nine of 30 (30%) assessed TAMI feasibility, acceptability, and/or satisfaction, all of which rated TAMIs highly in this regard. Among 18 studies comprised of a disproportionately high number of racial or ethnic minorities, 15 (83%) reported increased engagement in health behaviors and/or better health outcomes. CONCLUSIONS TAMIs can improve health promotion and disease management behaviors for people from a variety of socio-demographic backgrounds. Future studies are needed to determine the contribution of TAMIs on individual health outcomes, and to determine best practices for implementing TAMIs into clinical practice.


10.2196/15890 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. e15890
Author(s):  
Jessica L Watterson ◽  
Diego Castaneda ◽  
Caricia Catalani

Background Antenatal care (ANC) has the potential to improve maternal health, but it remains underutilized and unevenly implemented in many low- and middle-income countries. Increasingly, text messaging programs for pregnant women show evidence that they can improve the utilization of ANC during pregnancy; however, gaps remain regarding how implementation affects outcomes. Objective This study aimed to assess facilitators and barriers to implementation of an SMS text messaging intervention for pregnant women in Samoa and to assess its impact on ANC attendance. Methods This study took place in Upolu, Samoa, from March to August 2014 and employed a quasi-experimental design. Half (n=3) of the public antenatal clinics on the island offered adult pregnant women the SMS text messaging intervention, with 552 women registering for the messages. At the comparison clinics (n=3), 255 women registered and received usual care. The intervention consisted of unidirectional text messages containing health tips and appointment reminders. The outcome of interest was the number of attended antenatal visits. Implementation data were also collected through a survey of the participating midwives (n=7) and implementation notes. Data analysis included a comparison of women’s baseline characteristics between the two groups, followed by the use of negative binomial regressions to test for associations between participation in the intervention and increased ANC attendance, controlling for individual characteristics and accounting for the clustering of women within clinics. Results The comparison of ANC attendance rates found that women receiving the SMS text messaging intervention attended 15% fewer ANC visits than the comparison group (P=.004), controlling for individual characteristics and clustering. Data analysis of the implementation process suggests that barriers to successful implementation include women registering very late in pregnancy, sharing their phone with others, and inconsistent explanation of the intervention to women. Conclusions These results suggest that unidirectional text messages do not encourage, and might even discourage, ANC attendance in Samoa. Interpreted with other evidence in the literature, these results suggest that SMS text messaging interventions are more effective when they facilitate better communication between patients and health workers. This study is an important contribution to our understanding of when SMS text messaging interventions are and are not effective in improving maternal health care utilization.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica D'Arcey ◽  
Joanna Collaton ◽  
Nicole Kozloff ◽  
Aristotle N Voineskos ◽  
Sean A Kidd ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Individuals experiencing psychosis are at a disproportionate risk for premature disengagement from clinical treatment. Barriers to clinical engagement typically result from funding constraints causing limited access to and flexibility in services. Digital strategies, such as SMS text messaging, offer a low-cost alternative to potentially improve engagement. However, little is known about the efficacy of SMS text messaging in psychosis. OBJECTIVE This review aimed to address this gap, providing insights into the relationship between SMS text messaging and clinical engagement in the treatment of psychosis. METHODS Studies examining SMS text messaging as an engagement strategy in the treatment of psychosis were reviewed. Included studies were published from the year 2000 onward in the English language, with no methodological restrictions, and were identified using 3 core databases and gray literature sources. RESULTS Of the 233 studies extracted, 15 were eligible for inclusion. Most studies demonstrated the positive effects of SMS text messaging on dimensions of engagement such as medication adherence, clinic attendance, and therapeutic alliance. Studies examining the feasibility of SMS text messaging interventions found that they are safe, easy to use, and positively received. CONCLUSIONS Overall, SMS text messaging is a low-cost, practical method of improving engagement in the treatment of psychosis, although efficacy may vary by symptomology and personal characteristics. Cost-effectiveness and safety considerations were not adequately examined in the studies included. Future studies should consider personalizing SMS text messaging interventions and include cost and safety analyses to appraise readiness for implementation. CLINICALTRIAL


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Belinda Borrelli ◽  
Michelle Henshaw ◽  
Romano Endrighi ◽  
William G Adams ◽  
Timothy Heeren ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Effective preventive treatments for dental decay exist, but caries experience among preschoolers has not changed, with marked disparities in untreated decay. Despite near-universal use of SMS text messaging, there are no studies using text messages to improve the oral health of vulnerable children. OBJECTIVE This randomized controlled feasibility trial aimed to test the effects of oral health text messages (OHT) versus a control (child wellness text messages or CWT). OHT was hypothesized to outperform CWT on improving pediatric oral health behaviors and parent attitudes. METHODS Parents with a child aged &lt;7 years were recruited at urban clinics during pediatric appointments (79% [41/52] below poverty line; 66% [36/55] black) and randomized to OHT (text messages on brushing, dental visits, bottle and sippy cups, healthy eating and sugary beverages, and fluoride) or CWT (text messages on reading, safety, physical activity and development, secondhand smoke, and stress) groups. Automated text messages based on Social Cognitive Theory were sent twice each day for 8-weeks. Groups were equivalent on the basis of the number of text messages sent, personalization, interactivity, and opportunity to earn electronic badges and unlock animated characters. Assessments were conducted at baseline and 8 weeks later. Data were analyzed with linear mixed–effects models. RESULTS A total of 55 participants were randomized (28 OHT and 27 CWT). Only one participant dropped out during the text message program and 47 (24 OHT and 23 CWT) completed follow up surveys. Response rates exceeded 68.78% (1040/1512) and overall program satisfaction was high (OHT mean 6.3; CWT mean 6.2; 1-7 scale range). Of the OHT group participants, 84% (21/25) would recommend the program to others. Overall program likeability scores were high (OHT mean 5.90; CWT mean 6.0; 1-7 scale range). Participants reported high perceived impact of the OHT program on brushing their child’s teeth, motivation to address their child's oral health, and knowledge of their child's oral health needs (mean 4.7, 4.6, and 4.6, respectively; 1-5 scale range). At follow up, compared with CWT, OHT group participants were more likely to brush their children’s teeth twice per day (odds ratio [OR] 1.37, 95% CI 0.28-6.50) and demonstrated improved attitudes regarding the use of fluoride (OR 3.82, 95% CI 0.9-16.8) and toward getting regular dental checkups for their child (OR 4.68, 95% CI 0.24-91.4). There were modest, but not significant, changes in motivation (F1,53=0.60; <italic>P</italic>=.45) and self–efficacy (F1,53=0.24; <italic>P</italic>=.63) to engage in oral health behaviors, favoring OHT (<italic>d</italic>=0.28 and <italic>d</italic>=0.16 for motivation and self–efficacy, respectively). CONCLUSIONS The OHT program demonstrated feasibility was well utilized and appealing to the target population and showed promise for efficacy.


2005 ◽  
Vol 183 (7) ◽  
pp. 366-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean R Downer ◽  
John G Meara ◽  
Annette C Da Costa

2019 ◽  
Vol 89 (6) ◽  
pp. AB288
Author(s):  
Douglas S. Fishman ◽  
Ryan Himes ◽  
Karina Canadas

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (6) ◽  
pp. 351-357
Author(s):  
Laura M. Schwab ◽  
Melinda M. Franettovich Smith ◽  
M. Dilani Mendis ◽  
Deirdre McGhee ◽  
Julie Hides

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 64
Author(s):  
Daniel Van Hassel ◽  
Lud Van der Velden ◽  
Ronald Batenburg

In order to aid health workforce planning, we measured the number of hours worked by general practitioners (GPs). The twofold aim of this study consisted of assessing the feasibility, validity and reliability of an innovative method to measure working time and, second, to analyse differences in hours worked between six types of GPs divided by the combination of their gender and employment position. Our method was based on multiple time point observations using SMS text messaging. On average 19 GPs participated every week for 57 weeks. In total 1,051 GPs participated resulting in 61,320 valid measurements of time use. On average, GPs worked 44 hours per week. About 56% of this time was spent on direct patient-related activities, 26% to indirect patient-related activities, and 18% to activities not related to patients. There were substantial differences in working hours between male and female self-employed, those drawing a salary from a duo or group practice and locum GPs. For example, male self-employed GPs worked 51.6 hours per week, whereas male locum GPs worked 26.7 hours per week. Generally, differences in hours worked with regard to gender and employment position are smaller if we relate these hours to the number of FTE they worked. Furthermore, we conclude that the method of SMS text messaging based on the time sampling technique presents a limited degree of interference to the participants’ work and achieved reliable and valid results.


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