Report: Texting Works

By Katie Wike, contributing writer

Most text message programs for chronic disease management are successful, according to a report published in the Annual Review of Public Health.

A review of data from various studies has concluded most text messaging programs are successful tools in chronic disease management. According to results published by The Annual Review of Public Health, most of the 15 studies analyzed showed some success in addressing chronic disease self-management, disease prevention, and health promotion.

MobiHealth News reports five of the studies showed “statistically significant positive effects on health outcomes and/or behaviors.” These were studies which focused on general disease prevention and health promotion.

Three of the reviews focused on physical activity, diet, and weight loss. Participants in one of these studies showed seven times greater weight loss than those who did not receive text messages.

Participants in studies which focused on physical activity, diet, and weight loss reported increasing physical activity levels, losing an average of seven times more weight than a control group, reducing blood pressure, and reducing body mass index.

Other studies focused on medication adherence and included several chronic conditions such as diabetes, asthma, and HIV/AIDS. The review found 18 of 29 studies reported improvements in medication adherence rates, but 11 studies reported no differences.

One review focused on patients who were smokers, and iHealth Beat reports it found mobile interventions increased long-term smoking cessation rates.

A study conducted by researchers at Queen Mary University of London recently found that while 25 percent of patients in a control group stopped taking their medications, only 9 percent of those who received text messages failed to take their medication.