Smartphones and Text Messaging are Associated With Higher Parent Quality of Life Scores and Enrollment in Early Intervention After NICU Discharge.
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SUBMITTER: Flores-Fenlon N
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8362840 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description: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 <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; P=.45) and self-efficacy (F1,53=0.24; P=.63) to engage in oral health behaviors, favoring OHT (d=0.28 and d=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.
| S-EPMC6878100 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Suicide disproportionately impacts young Alaska Native people in the northwestern region of Alaska. As part of its efforts to address this challenge, Maniilaq Association developed a program to determine the feasibility of sending short text messages of caring and support. Process evaluation measures included the number of enrollees and the number of text messages sent each month. To determine participant satisfaction and seek recommendations for improvements, a short, online survey was disseminated to enrollees via text message in 2021 and 2022. Between January 2020 and September 2021, text messages were sent each month to about 100 participants, each with an accompanying image. Messages included "You are capable of amazing things" and "You are enough". Twenty-five individuals completed the 2021 survey and 11 the 2022 survey; three quarters lived in Northwest Arctic. Respondents said the messages improved their mood and made them feel like they mattered a lot or a great deal. The intervention was well-received by participants, inspiring individuals to reach out to others and reach out for help for themselves. Recommendations for improvements included increasing culturally relevant and meaningful quotes and the frequency and consistency of messages. Due to concerns around confidentiality, it is unclear if the initiative reached those most at-risk for suicide. However, participants sharing the messages among the small population of the region may have facilitated a broader reach than would otherwise be expected.Supplementary informationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s41347-022-00293-z.
| S-EPMC9973232 | biostudies-literature
Project description:OBJECTIVE:Text messaging interventions are effective. Despite high utilization of smartphones, few studies evaluate text messaging for cessation in middle-/lower-income countries. Initiating tobacco treatment in hospitals is an effective but underutilized approach for reaching smokers. We evaluated a hybrid phone counseling/text messaging intervention for supporting cessation among hospitalized smokers in Brazil. METHODS:We used an experimental design to assess the feasibility and potential effect size of the intervention. Participants (N = 66) were recruited from a university hospital and randomized in a 2:1 ratio into TXT (one session of telephone counseling plus 2 weeks of text messaging; N = 44) or Standard Care control group (N = 22). Participants lost to follow-up were counted as smokers. RESULTS:Counselors sent 1186 texts, of which 924 (77.9%) were received by study participants. Participants rated the TXT content as "helpful" (80.4%) and the phone counseling length to be "just right" (95.1%). Although the study was not powered to evaluate abstinence rates, we did observe a higher prevalence of abstinence in the TXT compared to control group at both 1-month follow-up (25.0% vs. 9.1%) and 3-month follow-up (31.8% vs. 9.1%). Carbon monoxide-verified abstinence at month 3 was also higher in TXT (20.5% vs. 4.5%). CONCLUSIONS:This hybrid telephone/text intervention should progress to full-scale effectiveness testing as it achieved favorable outcomes, was acceptable to participants, and was readily implemented. This type of intervention has strong potential for expanding the reach of hospital-initiated tobacco treatment in middle-/lower-income countries. IMPLICATIONS:This study extends research on hospital-initiated smoking cessation by establishing the feasibility of a novel text-messaging approach for post-discharge follow-up. Text messaging is a low-cost alternative to proactive telephone counseling that could help overcome resource barriers in middle- and lower-income countries. This hybrid texting/counseling intervention identified smokers in hospitals, established rapport through a single telephone follow-up, and expanded acceptability and reach of later support by using text-messaging, which is free of charge in this and other low-income countries. The favorable cessation outcomes achieved by the hybrid intervention provide support for a fully powered effectiveness trial.
| S-EPMC6861823 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveMobile health technology offers promise for reducing disparities in pediatric asthma care and outcomes by helping parents more effectively communicate with their children's primary care providers and manage their children's asthma. This study tested the impact of a text messaging program on emergency department utilization and asthma morbidity.MethodsA randomized controlled trial enrolled 221 parents of Medicaid-insured children visiting the emergency departments of 2 urban children's hospitals in the Pacific Northwest for an asthma-related concern between September 2015 and February 2019. Standardized surveys were administered to parents at baseline and 12 months later to assess the primary outcomes of emergency department utilization and morbidity as well as primary care utilization, parent communication self-efficacy, and asthma self-management knowledge. The intervention group received brief in-person education on partnering with primary care providers, followed by 3 months of educational text messages.ResultsParticipants were mostly female, English speakers, of minority race and ethnicity, and living below 200% of the federal poverty level. Negative binomial and linear regressions indicated no significant group differences in annual number of emergency department visits, morbidity, parent communication self-efficacy, or asthma self-management knowledge at 12 months' follow-up, adjusting for baseline covariates. Average annual rate of primary care visits for asthma was 35% higher in the intervention group compared to control group at follow-up (95% confidence interval 1.03-1.76, P = .03).ConclusionsThis parent-focused text message intervention did not impact emergency department utilization or asthma morbidity; however, results suggest its potential for enhancing use of primary care for management of pediatric chronic conditions.
| S-EPMC10650351 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundParent-infant closeness during hospital care of newborns has many benefits for both infants and parents. We developed an educational intervention for neonatal staff, Close Collaboration with Parents, to increase parent-infant closeness during hospital care. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention on parent-infant closeness in nine hospitals in Finland.MethodsParents of hospitalized infants were recruited in the hospitals during 3-month periods before and after the Close Collaboration with Parents intervention. The data were collected using daily Closeness diaries. Mothers and fathers separately filled in the time they spent in the hospital and the time of skin-to-skin contact with their infant during each hospital care day until discharge. Statistical analyses were done using a linear model with covariates.ResultsDiaries were kept before and after the intervention by a total of 170 and 129 mothers and 126 and 84 fathers, respectively. Either parent was present on average 453?min per day before the intervention and 620?min after the intervention in the neonatal unit. In the adjusted model, the increase was 99?min per day (p?=?0.0007). The infants were in skin-to-skin contact on average 76?min per day before the intervention and 114?min after the intervention. In the adjusted model, skin-to-skin contact increased by 24?min per day (p?=?0.0405).ConclusionThe Close Collaboration with Parents intervention increased parents' presence and skin-to-skin contact in nine hospitals. This study suggests that parent-infant closeness may be one mediating factor explaining benefits of parenting interventions.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT04635150 . Retrospectively registered.
| S-EPMC7798198 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Due to the widespread use of smartphones, romantic couples can connect with their partners from virtually anywhere, at any time. Remote communication may be particularly important to long-distance relationships (LDRs), compared to geographically close relationships (GCRs). The goals of the current research were to examine differences between LDRs and GCRs in (1) the patterns of remote communication (video calls, voice calls, and texting), and (2) how frequency and responsiveness of remote communication are related to relationship satisfaction. Data were drawn from an online survey of emerging adults (n = 647) who were in a relationship or dating someone (36.5% were in an LDR). Participants in LDRs engaged in more frequent video calling, voice calling and texting, compared to those in GCRs. Long-distance relationship participants also perceived their partners to be more responsive during video and voice calls, compared to GCR participants. More frequent and responsive texting predicted significantly greater relationship satisfaction among participants in LDRs, but not GCRs. Meanwhile, frequency of voice calls was associated with greater relationship satisfaction in GCRs, but not in LDRs. The use of video calls was not significantly related to relationship satisfaction in either group. Overall, study findings add to a growing literature on remote communication in romantic couples and suggest a uniquely positive role of texting within LDRs. Further research is needed to examine the ways in which LDR and GCR couples can best capitalize on different forms of remote technology to maintain their relationships during periods of separation.
| S-EPMC8669216 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Background:The majority of Latino immigrants have been shown to have a mobile phone. Cellular phones offer a low-cost method of reaching larger populations and have the potential for increased tailoring and interactivity. This supports the development of mHealth interventions to address healthcare disparities in this population. In this study we sought to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of interactive Spanish-language text messages sent throughout a child's first year of life in a low-income, limited-English proficient (LEP) Latino population to support families in accessing and using pediatric primary care more effectively. Methods:Participants (n=79) received interactive text messages over a period of 12 months as a part of a multi-modal mHealth intervention conducted at an urban academic pediatric primary care practice. Inclusion criteria were: singleton infant <2 months of age, enrollment in public health insurance, parent age >18, parent preferred healthcare language of Spanish, and at least one household cellular phone. Interactive text messages were designed to promote increased healthcare engagement and prompted participant responses through preprogramed algorithms. Text message sequences included clinic appointment reminders, support for obtaining medicine and completing referral appointments, monitoring of illness care needs and use, and parent support program reminders. Descriptive analyses were used to examine text message volume, usability, and participant response to text sequences. Results:Among participants, mean parent age was 30.1 years (SD: 6.1 years); mean years in the US was 7.5 years (SD: 5.1 years). 63.3% of parents had less than a high school education and 84.8% of parents had possible/high likelihood of limited health literacy. Participants completed the majority of sequences with appointment reminder sequences having the quickest response time. The top quartile of responders completed 88.3% of sequences; lower educational attainment was associated with lower text message sequence completion. Participants rated the program positively, especially the appointment reminders. Conclusions:LEP Latino parents successfully engaged with interactive Spanish-language text sequences and parent acceptability was high. This study demonstrates feasibility for interventions employing this technology. Text message interventions may be a feasible approach to reduce healthcare disparities and costs for vulnerable populations.
| S-EPMC7656102 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundAdolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) have higher hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) levels than others. In general, adolescents engage with text messaging (TM) and financial incentives, both associated with improved diabetes outcomes. This study aimed to assess the impact of a TM intervention with financial incentives on self-care behaviors and HbA1c.MethodsA six-month randomized controlled trial compared MyDiaText™, a TM education and support application, with standard care. The sample included 166 teens with T1D, 12-18 years old, attending a diabetes clinic. The intervention group received one daily TM and were instructed to respond. Participants who responded to TMs for the most consecutive days were eligible for a financial reward biweekly via lottery. All participants received prompts to complete the self-care inventory (SCI) at baseline, 90, and 180 days. HbA1c was collected at clinic visits. Changes in SCI and HbA1c were analyzed using a multilevel mixed-effects linear regression model. Intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses were performed.ResultsThe median TM response rate was 59% (interquartile range 40.1%-85.2%) and decreased over time. After adjustment for baseline characteristics, in per-protocol analysis, there was a statistically significant difference in SCI score increase in those receiving one TM per day vs control (P = .035). HbA1c decreased overall, without significant difference between groups (P = .786).ConclusionsA TM intervention with financial incentives for adolescents with T1D in suboptimal control was associated with increasing self-care report; however, glycemic control did not differ from controls. Further research is needed to develop digital health interventions that will impact glycemic control.
| S-EPMC8875063 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Few smokers receive evidence-based cessation services during primary care visits. We aimed to assess the feasibility of a proactive text messaging program for primary care patients who smoke. We used electronic health records (EHRs) to identify smokers from two Massachusetts community health centers who had a mobile phone number listed. In March 2014-June 2015 patients were screened by their primary care physician then sent a proactive text message inviting them to enroll by texting back. Patients who opted-in were asked about their readiness to quit. The text message program included messages from the QuitNowTXT library and novel content for smokers who were not ready to quit. Among 949 eligible smokers, 88 (9%) enrolled after receiving a single proactive text message. Compared with those who did not enroll, enrollees were more often female (61% vs. 48%, p=0.02) but otherwise did not differ in age, race, insurance status, or comorbidities. Twenty-eight percent of enrollees were not ready to quit in the next 30 days. The median time in the program was 9 days (interquartile range 2-32). Twenty-five percent of current smokers sent one or more keyword requests to the server. These did not differ by readiness to quit. A proactively delivered text messaging program targeting primary care patients who smoke was feasible and engaged both smokers ready to quit and those not ready to quit. This method shows promise as part of a population health model for addressing tobacco use outside of the primary care office.
| S-EPMC6261471 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Intuitive eating (IE) is a concept based on mind-body integration of instinct, emotion and rational thought, to improve eating behaviours, physical and mental health. Several attempts were developed to teach IE principles including text-messaging interventions given that they are easy to implement and low cost.ObjectiveThe present study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a 5-week text message-based IE intervention on IE, while correcting for perceived stress (PS) and self-compassion (SC).DesignA randomised controlled trial.SettingOnline, in Lebanon.ParticipantsAdults (n 195) were randomised into one of three groups: the active IE group receiving IE-related messages with a practice exercise, the passive IE group receiving only IE-related messages and the control group receiving general health-related tips. Ten messages were delivered over 5 weeks. Two follow-ups were made: directly post-intervention and 7 weeks later. Baseline data and follow-ups included demographics, nutrition-related variables and measures of IE, SC and PS.ResultsResults indicated improvements in IE scores in the two intervention groups (P = 0·05), with the passive IE group showing the most improvement. Also, a significant improvement in SC (Λ = 0·88, F (2, 63) = 4·40, P = 0·01) and reduction in PS (Λ = 0·86, F (2, 63) = 5·21, P = 0·008) were observed in the active IE group.ConclusionText-messaging interventions might be efficient in enhancing IE. Results shed light on the need for further large-scale interventions that use visual aids and provide practical guidance to teach IE, while further characterising the relation between IE, SC and stress.
| S-EPMC10410380 | biostudies-literature