A large randomized control trial in Australia has shown that text messages can actually affect health outcomes. The 2-year study of 710 patients with coronary heart disease, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, showed that six months of a text messaging intervention produced significant reduction in cholesterol, blood pressure, and BMI. Moreover, at the end of the study, participants were also exercising more and smoking less.
“I have to say, we were pretty surprised that it worked,” Clara Chow, the lead author of the study, told NPR. “These are the things that medications usually do, not text messages.”
Four times a week, some 350 of the 700 patients in the study received text messages with advice, motivational reminders, and support. These messages were customized to some degree based on surveys taken before the study, but the program wasn’t interactive, requiring no feedback on the user’s end.
The absolute cholesterol reduction in the intervention group was 5 mg/dL, the absolute BMI reduction was 1.3, and the reduction in systolic blood pressure was 7.6 mmHg.The absolute cholesterol reduction in the intervention group was 5 mg/dL, the absolute BMI reduction was 1.3, and the reduction in systolic blood pressure was 7.6 mmHg. Meanwhile, physical activity increased by 293 MET minutes per week.
Patients on their end reported a high satisfaction with the program with 91% finding it useful, 97% – easy to understand, and 86% – approved of the frequency of the messages.
[Via: mobihealthnews]