Browsing by Subject "SMS"

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    ItemOpen Access
    Development of a Theoretically Driven mHealth Text Messaging Application for Sustaining Recent Weight Loss.
    (JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2013-05) Shaw, Ryan J; Bosworth, Hayden B; Hess, Jeffrey C; Silva, Susan G; Lipkus, Isaac M; Davis, Linda L; Johnson, Constance M

    Background

    Mobile phone short message service (SMS) text messaging, has the potential to serve as an intervention medium to promote sustainability of weight loss that can be easily and affordably used by clinicians and consumers.

    Objective

    To develop theoretically driven weight loss sustaining text messages and pilot an mHealth SMS text messaging intervention to promote sustaining recent weight loss in order to understand optimal frequency and timing of message delivery, and for feasibility and usability testing. Results from the pilot study were used to design and construct a patient privacy compliant automated SMS application to deliver weight loss sustaining messages.

    Methods

    We first conducted a pilot study in which participants (N=16) received a daily SMS text message for one month following a structured weight loss program. Messages were developed from diet and exercise guidelines. Following the intervention, interviews were conducted and self-reported weight was collected via SMS text messaging.

    Results

    All participants (N=16) were capable of sending and receiving SMS text messages. During the phone interview at 1 month post-baseline and at 3 months post-baseline, 13/14 (93%) of participants who completed the study reported their weight via SMS. At 3 months post-baseline, 79% (11/14) participants sustained or continued to lose weight. Participants (13/14, 93%) were favorable toward the messages and the majority (10/14, 71%) felt they were useful in helping them sustain weight loss. All 14 participants who completed the interview thought SMS was a favorable communication medium and was useful to receive short relevant messages promptly and directly. All participants read the messages when they knew they arrived and most (11/14, 79%) read the messages at the time of delivery. All participants felt that at least one daily message is needed to sustain weight loss behaviors and that they should be delivered in the morning. Results were then used to develop the SMS text messaging application.

    Conclusions

    Study results demonstrated the feasibility of developing weight loss SMS text messages, and the development of an mHealth SMS text messaging application. SMS text messaging was perceived as an appropriate and accepted tool to deliver health promotion content.
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    ItemOpen Access
    Strategic Evaluation of TB CARE SMS System in Cambodia
    (2013) Drew, Allyson

    Background

    This retrospective study examined the impact of a USAID-funded and FHI 360-implemented pilot project entitled "TB CARE SMS System" in Cambodia. The primary objective of this study was to compare the "sputum submission to treatment delay" (SSTD) before and after the TB Care SMS System was initiated in December 2011 in the health clinics in Cambodia that correspond to the Kampong Cham Referral Hospital (RH) and Chamkar Leu Referral Hospital. The secondary objective was to capture the impact and limitations of the pilot TB CARE SMS System from the perspective of the healthcare workers and Community Directly Observed Therapy (CDOT) Program workers who use it on a daily basis.

    Methods

    A time-series regression analysis was used to measure the effect of the pilot project on SSTD. Measuring the secondary objective was conducted with in-person interviews with health center and CDOT workers who have used the SMS system, at 5 health centers (HCs) that use either the Chamkar Leu RH or Kampong Cham RH lab.

    Results

    With a total of 85 patients used in primary analysis, it appears that the pilot TB Care SMS System did not have the expected impact on the period that the sputum was sent to the lab for testing until the time the patient started treatment (SSTD).. However, measuring the date from when the sputum labs were sent to when the lab results were received by the HCs, we did not find a statistically significant reduction in delay either, though the trend was in the expected direction, with an apparent reduction of 1.70 days. In the secondary objective, all of both HC staff and CDOT workers believed the new SMS system was better than the original paper-based system.

    Conclusions

    The results show that the TB CARE SMS System demonstrated no statistically significant impact on SSTD, in the limited 6 month timeframe. However, it is an overall success from the perception of the users.