Text messaging as a tool for behavior change in disease prevention and management
Open accessAbstract
Mobile phone text messaging is a potentially powerful tool for behavior change because it is widely available, inexpensive, and instant. This systematic review provides an overview of behavior change interventions for disease management and prevention delivered through text messaging. Evidence on behavior change and clinical outcomes was compiled from randomized or quasi-experimental controlled trials of text message interventions published in peer-reviewed journals by June 2009. Only those interventions using text message as the primary mode of communication were included. Study quality was assessed by using a standardized measure. Seventeen articles representing 12 studies (5 disease prevention and 7 disease management) were included. Intervention length ranged from 3 months to 12 months, none had long-term follow-up, and message frequency varied. Of 9 sufficiently powered studies, 8 found evidence to support text messaging as a tool for behavior change. Effects exist across age, minority status, and nationality. Nine countries are represented in this review, but it is problematic that only one is a developing country, given potential benefits of such a widely accessible, relatively inexpensive tool for health behavior change. Methodological issues and gaps in the literature are highlighted, and recommendations for future studies are provided.
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- Findingown data
Only two included studies specified a theoretical framework.
“Only 2 studies specified a theoretical framework (46, 52).”
- Also stated in: § DISCUSSION · plain
“Few studies in this sample specified a theoretical rationale.”
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- Findingcitation
One included study had noticeable nonadherence to the intervention protocol that may have reduced the intervention's effectiveness.
“One study had noticeable rates of nonadherence to the intervention protocol that may have reduced the effectiveness of the intervention.”
- Also stated in: § Assessment of risk of bias · hedged
“Several participants failed to wear pedometers, which was hypothesized to decrease physical activity when used in conjunction with text messaging (47).”
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- Also stated in: § Assessment of risk of bias · hedged
- Findingcitation
Obese adults showed greater weight loss at 4 and 12 months.
“Significant clinical outcomes observed included greater weight loss in obese adults at 4 and 12 months (46, 48)”
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- cites [48]
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- Findingown data
Retention was above 80% in all but three of the included studies.
“Retention was above 80% for all but 3 studies (Tables 1 and 2) (23, 27, 46).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 3 sources checked - Findingcitation
Among diabetic adolescents and young adults, text messaging increased the frequency of blood glucose monitoring and reporting compared with e-mail.
“increase in frequency of blood glucose monitoring and reporting via text message compared with e-mail among diabetic adolescents and young adults (23).”
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- Findingown data
Among the nine studies with sufficient statistical power, eight provided evidence supporting text messaging as a behavior change tool.
“Of 9 sufficiently powered studies, 8 found evidence to support text messaging as a tool for behavior change.”
- Also stated in: § Effect of text messaging · plain
“Eight of the 9 sufficiently powered studies found evidence to support the effectiveness of text messaging as a tool for behavior change in disease prevention (27, 46, 48) and management (23, 51, 52, 54, 55).”
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- cites [46]
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- cites [48]
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- Also stated in: § Effect of text messaging · plain
- Findingcitation
Four of the twelve included studies did not isolate the effect of text messaging technology.
“It is of note that 4 of the 12 studies failed to isolate the effect of the text messaging technology (23, 47, 48, 55).”
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- cites [47]
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- Findingreasoning
The evidence base for health topics other than diabetes management is sparse.
“However, the evidence base for other health topics is sparse, despite exploratory evidence that text messaging may be useful.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingcitation
Text reminders increased blood glucose monitoring frequency compared with e-mail reminders.
“These studies found that text reminders result in increased frequency of blood glucose monitoring when compared with e-mail reminders (23)”
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- Findingcitation
Adolescents and obese and nonobese adult diabetics showed a greater decrease in hemoglobin A1c levels.
“greater decrease in hemoglobin A1c levels in adolescents and obese and nonobese adult diabetics (51, 52, 54, 55).”
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- cites [52]
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- cites [54]
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- Findingown data
Eight of the included studies found evidence of a short-term effect on a behavioral or clinical outcome related to disease prevention and management.
“The majority of the studies (8) found evidence of a short-term effect regarding a behavioral or clinical outcome related to disease prevention and management.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingown data
The review found no randomized controlled trials assessing text messaging effects on medication adherence in diseased populations.
“This review retrieved no randomized controlled trials assessing the effect of text messaging on medication adherence in diseased populations.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingown data
Only two studies measured whether text messaging is as effective as other communication technologies.
“Only 2 studies measured whether text messaging is as effective as other technologies for communication (23, 51).”
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- cites [51]
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- Findingcitation
Hemoglobin A1c levels decreased when compared with an Internet-based monitoring system.
“and that hemoglobin A1c levels decreased when compared with an Internet-based monitoring system (51).”
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- Findingown data
Among studies that found no effect, only one had sufficient power to detect an effect in the primary outcome.
“Of those that found no evidence of effect, only one had sufficient power to detect an effect in the primary outcome.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingcitation
In one study with two intervention conditions, text messaging could be isolated in one comparison to control but not in the other.
“Additionally, in one study that had 2 intervention conditions, text messaging could be isolated by one comparison to the control group but not the other (52).”
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- Findingreasoning
All other included studies gave the intervention group more opportunities for communication than standard care.
“All other studies provided the intervention group with opportunities for increased communication compared with standard of care.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Findingcitation
Peak expiratory levels in asthmatic adults showed no evidence of a difference between groups.
“The clinical outcome for which results were inconclusive was peak expiratory levels in asthmatic adults; the study found no evidence of a difference between groups (53).”
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- Study design and conductnone given
All included studies used blind allocation of participants to condition during randomization.
“All studies utilized blind allocation of participants to condition during randomization.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Study design and conductreasoning
In the two comparative studies, the intervention and control groups received the same amount of communication.
“In these studies, researchers provided the same amount of communication to the intervention and control groups.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Study design and conductreasoning
Heterogeneity prevented drawing conclusions about whether text messaging is more effective for disease prevention or management.
“Heterogeneity also resulted in an inability to draw conclusions about whether text messaging is more effective for disease prevention or management.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Interpretationcitation
The evidence supports recent evidence that text messaging is a useful tool for behavior change interventions.
“Specifically, it supports recent evidence that text messaging is a useful tool for behavior change interventions (14).”
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- Premisecitation
Research has shown that messaging interventions designed and measured using behavioral theory are more likely to be successful.
“However, research has shown that messaging interventions designed and measured by using behavioral theory are more likely to be successful (33–35).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 3 sources checked - Premisecitation
Text messaging can deliver prevention components based on theoretical models such as the theory of planned behavior and the health belief model.
“Text messaging can be used as a way to deliver prevention components based on theoretical models such as the theory of planned behavior and the health belief model (32).”
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- Premisecitation
Text messaging remains useful in resource-poor settings where people may lack access to expensive technology.
“Additionally, text messaging is an mHealth innovation for which utility remains even in resource-poor settings in which people may not have access to expensive technology (14, 15, 29).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 3 sources checked - Interpretationreasoning
Text messaging may be an important tool to reduce the global burden on health care by providing more effective disease prevention and management support.
“text messaging may be an important tool to reduce the global burden on health care by providing more effective disease prevention and management support.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Premisecitation
Studies have found that periodic prompts and reminders are effective to encourage and reinforce healthy behaviors.
“Studies have found that periodic prompts and reminders are an effective method to encourage and reinforce healthy behaviors (33).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites [33] source
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- Premisecitation
Several studies of medication adherence interventions show benefits of medication reminders.
“Nevertheless, several studies of medication adherence interventions show the benefits of medication reminders (24).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites [24] source
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- Interpretationreasoning
The process of text messaging may tap important constructs central to many behavioral theories even when message content was not explicitly theory-based.
“However, the process of text messaging itself may tap important constructs (e.g., cues to action, reinforcement, social support) central to many behavioral theories even when the developer of the program did not explicitly base the content of the message on a theory.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Study design and conductown data
Heterogeneity of topics prevented an empirical summary of results.
“Limitations of this review include that the heterogeneity of topics prevented presentation of an empirical summary of results.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Interpretationcitation
The review's evidence is consistent with existing literature suggesting mobile phones are useful for interventions seeking health outcome improvement.
“This evidence is consistent with existing literature suggesting that mobile phones are a useful tool for interventions seeking improvement in health outcomes (15, 18, 22).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 3 sources checked - Premisecitation
Data suggest that most prevention programs achieve stronger results when content is theory based.
“Despite this advantage, data suggest that most prevention programs achieve stronger results when the content is theory based (33–35).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 3 sources checked - Interpretationreasoning
The review supports the feasibility of using text messaging to effect behavior change.
“This review supports the feasibility of using text messaging to effect behavior change.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Interpretationreasoning
The gap between the literature and global field practices can lead to missed opportunities for learning about and improving text messaging as a behavior change tool.
“This gap between the literature and global field practices can lead to missed opportunities for learning about and improving text messaging as a tool for behavior change.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Interpretationreasoning
Text messaging is suitable for behavior change interventions because it allows in-the-moment, personally tailored health communication and reinforcement.
“Text messaging is suitable for behavior change interventions because it allows for in-the-moment, personally tailored health communication and reinforcement.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Interpretationreasoning
Because the included studies were restricted to randomized controlled trials, the evidence is the best to date on text messaging for behavior change.
“Given that studies included in this review were restricted to randomized controlled trials, the “gold standard” for assessing effect, this evidence is the best to date on text messaging for behavior change.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Interpretationreasoning
Text messaging may improve existing practices and interventions.
“Given the positive results so far, and the increasing uptake of mobile technologies, text messaging may improve existing practices and interventions.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Premisecitation
There is evidence of benefits of periodic prompts and reminders as stand-alone interventions for health behavior.
“There is also evidence of the benefits of periodic prompts and reminders as stand-alone interventions for health behavior (33).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites [33] source
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- Interpretationnone given
A potential drawback of text-message-based mHealth interventions is marginalization of populations that are illiterate or lack mobile phone access for financial reasons.
“A potential drawback to the use of text-message-based mHealth interventions is potential marginalization of certain populations, such as those that are illiterate or do not have access to a mobile phone for financial reasons.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Premisecitation
Messages are delivered when a phone is turned back on even if it was off.
“Furthermore, even if a phone has been turned off, messages will be delivered when the phone is turned back on (29).”
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- May combine two claims. 21
- Classified as probably not a substantial claim. 14
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Findingown dataAcross the included studies, intervention duration ranged from 3 to 12 months, and no study followed participants beyond the end of the intervention.
“Intervention length ranged from 3 months to 12 months, none had long-term follow-up, and message frequency varied.”
- Also stated in: § Intervention characteristics · plain
“Intervention length ranged from 3 months to 12 months, and, for all studies, follow-up was conducted at baseline and immediately after the intervention.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim- Also stated in: § Intervention characteristics · plain
May combine two claims.
FindingcitationVitamin adherence among healthy college students increased in both groups, with no evidence of an effect.
“adherence to using vitamins by healthy college students (increased in both groups, no evidence of effect) (45)”
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FindingcitationNine countries were represented in the review, and only one of them was a developing country.
“Nine countries are represented in this review, but it is problematic that only one is a developing country, given potential benefits of such a widely accessible, relatively inexpensive tool for health behavior change.”
- Also stated in: § DISCUSSION · plain
“Nine countries were represented, only one of which is a developing country (53).”
- Also stated in: § DISCUSSION · plain
“It is also of note that only one of the studies in this review was conducted in a developing country (53), which is alarming.”
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Findingown dataThe average study design quality score was 76% for disease prevention studies and 81% for disease management studies.
“The average study design quality scores were 76% for disease prevention studies and 81% for disease management studies (Table 3).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimMay combine two claims.
FindingcitationSmokers showed a greater prevalence of current nonsmoking at 6 and 12 weeks, with the same effect in a minority subgroup analysis.
“Significant behavior change outcomes observed included greater prevalence of current nonsmoking by smokers at 6 and 12 weeks (same effect observed in minority subgroup analysis) (27)”
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FindingcitationPhysical activity measured by daily step count decreased unexpectedly in both groups, with no evidence of an effect.
“physical activity as measured by daily step count (unexpected decrease in both groups, no evidence of effect) (23).”
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Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).
Findingown dataText message frequency varied widely across studies, from once per week to five or more times per day.
“Frequency of text messaging varied greatly, ranging from once weekly to 5 times per day or more.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimMay combine two claims.
Findingown dataThe review found effects across age groups, minority and nonminority populations, and different nationalities.
“Effects exist across age, minority status, and nationality.”
- Also stated in: § DISCUSSION · hedged
“Effects appeared to exist among adolescents and adults, among minority and nonminority populations, and across nationalities.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim- Also stated in: § DISCUSSION · hedged
May combine two claims.
Findingown dataThe review included 17 articles that represented 12 studies, comprising 5 disease prevention studies and 7 disease management studies.
“Seventeen articles representing 12 studies (5 disease prevention and 7 disease management) were included.”
- Also stated in: § RESULTS · plain
“Of 30 articles identified from the comprehensive search, 17 articles representing 12 studies met criteria for inclusion in the study.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim- Also stated in: § RESULTS · plain
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FindingreasoningThere is a paucity of data, and the health behavior studies included in the review are heterogeneous.
“Because of the relative newness of text messaging as a method of delivery for behavior change interventions, there is a paucity of data, and the health behavior studies included in this review are quite heterogeneous.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimMay combine two claims.
Findingnone givenOther methodological issues include lack of rigor in statistical power and failure to isolate text messaging technology.
“Other methodological issues include lack of rigor in study design with regard to statistical power to detect a significant difference and, perhaps most importantly, failure to isolate the text messaging technology.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimMay combine two claims.
Findingown dataEvidence for text messaging in prevention and management was observed for weight loss, smoking cessation, and diabetes management.
“Evidence for text messaging in disease prevention and management interventions was observed for weight loss, smoking cessation, and diabetes management.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimMay combine two claims.
Findingown dataDiabetes management was the most advanced area because it represented all but one of the disease management randomized controlled trials in the review.
“Currently, the area of diabetes management is most advanced because it represented all but one of the disease management randomized controlled trials in this review.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimMay combine two claims.
Findingnone givenNo clear differences in intervention outcomes were found based on age, gender, or message length.
“There were no clear differences in intervention outcomes based on age, gender, or length of messages.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimMay combine two claims.
Study design and conductreasoningParticipant blinding was not possible in this type of study, and only two studies blinded research staff during assessment.
“Blinding of participants to condition is not possible in this type of study, but only 2 studies utilized blinding of research staff during assessment (27, 47).”
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- cites [47]
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Study design and conductcitationAnother included study with low retention did not report whether attrition differed between groups.
“Another study with a low retention rate did not specify whether attrition was differential (23).”
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Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based).
Study design and conductnone givenThe review is subject to publication bias.
“Additionally, as with all systematic reviews, the present study is subject to publication bias.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimClassified as probably not a substantial claim.
InterpretationreasoningThe information on medication reminders, periodic prompts, and mobile phones provides a strong rationale for extending research on text messaging to medication adherence, especially for global diseases such as HIV.
“This information, coupled with evidence of the benefits of mobile phones as an inexpensive, personal, efficient, and widely accessible way to intervene on health (14, 18, 61), provides a very strong rationale for extending research on text messaging to medication adherence, especially in the context of global diseases such as HIV.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 3 sources checkedClassified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.
PremisecitationmHealth is a rapidly growing area of research with potential to promote health equity.
“This review is important because mHealth is a rapidly growing area of research with the potential to promote health equity (8, 36).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 2 sources checkedProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.
PremisecitationMobile phone use grew rapidly, with an estimated 4 billion subscribers worldwide by the end of 2008, up from 1 billion in 2002.
“By the end of 2008, there were an estimated 4 billion mobile phone subscribers worldwide. Since there were only 1 billion subscribers in 2002, it is apparent that use of this technology is growing rapidly (1).”
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PremisecitationText messaging is the most widely available and frequently used mobile data service.
“Text messaging is of particular interest in this review because of the unique promise of mHealth—it is the most widely available and frequently used mobile data service (3, 30).”
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Study design and conductnone givenThe review's synthesis of randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies is a strength.
“A strength of this review is that it synthesizes evidence from randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimMay combine two claims.
PremisecitationText messaging is asynchronous and can be accessed at personally convenient times.
“Text messaging also has the advantage of being asynchronous because it can be accessed at any time that is personally convenient (13, 14).”
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PremisecitationText messaging is available on almost every mobile phone model, relatively low cost, widespread, requires little technological expertise, and applies to many health behaviors and conditions.
“Text messaging demonstrates strong potential as a tool for health care improvement for several reasons; it is available on almost every model of mobile phone, the cost is relatively low, its use is widespread, it does not require great technological expertise, and it is widely applicable to a variety of health behaviors and conditions (1, 2, 13, 29).”
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PremisecitationAn estimated 98% of cell phones worldwide have text message capabilities.
“An estimated 98% of cell phones worldwide have text message capabilities, but text messaging usage rates vary by age, culture, and country (3, 28, 30).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 3 sources checkedProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).
PremisecitationTotal cost of ownership, the share of income needed to connect, decreased 20% between 2005 and 2008.
“Furthermore, total cost of ownership, the amount of a person’s income necessary to connect, decreased 20% between 2005 and 2008 (65).”
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PremisecitationMobile phone communication is less expensive than landline telephones or standard Internet.
“Communication by mobile phone is less expensive than alternative options such as landline telephones or standard Internet (1, 7).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 2 sources checkedProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).
PremisecitationMobile phones have had a considerable impact in developing countries.
“Mobile phones have had a considerable impact in developing countries (3, 5, 6).”
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- cites [5]
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- cites [6]
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PremisecitationPeople worldwide are gaining Internet access via mobile phones, and for many the mobile phone is the primary mode of Internet access.
“Additionally, across the world (in both developing and developed countries), people are gaining access to the Internet via mobile phones. For many, the mobile phone is currently the primary mode of accessing the Internet, which the Pew Internet & American Life Project suggests will be the case for the entire world by 2020 (5, 9).”
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- cites [9] source
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PremisecitationMillions of people in Africa and Asia who never had traditional phone communication now use mobile phones regularly.
“Millions of people across Africa and Asia who never had access to traditional phone communication now use mobile phones on a regular basis (3, 5, 8).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 3 sources checkedProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).
PremisecitationMobile technology is increasingly used to promote health and prevent disease.
“Mobile technology is also increasingly used to promote health and prevent disease (11, 13–17).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 6 sources checkedProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.
PremisecitationNinety-five percent of countries have mobile phone networks, and most of these have more mobile phone than landline subscriptions.
“Ninety-five percent of countries in the world have mobile phone networks, and the majority of these countries have more mobile phone than landline subscriptions (2, 3).”
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Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In a review of seven intervention studies, including four randomized trials, text messaging showed significant promise for improving adherence rates.
“In a review of seven intervention studies, including four randomized trials, text messaging showed significant promise for improving adherence rates.”
From Impacts of e-health on the outcomes of care in low- and middle-income countries: where do we go from here? (2012) · cites this paper as [7]
The Results report 12 included studies, not seven; the Discussion describes them as randomized controlled trials, not a set including only four randomized trials. The Methods say adherence studies were excluded unless they targeted an ongoing preventive health behavior, so the review does not establish the claimed improvement in adherence rates. (LLM, conf=0.90)
Checked by a reasoning model — may be wrong.
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredFew successful mHealth interventions have been described in the developing world.
“Notwithstanding some successful examples, few successful mHealth interventions have been described in the developing world [10], [11].”
From Optimizing Network Connectivity for Mobile Health Technologies in sub-Saharan Africa (2012) · cites this paper as [11]
The Discussion (page not provided) says only one of the 12 reviewed text-messaging trials was conducted in a developing country, supporting the point that published evidence was scarce. The review covers a specific subset of mHealth interventions, however, and does not establish that few successful mHealth interventions of all kinds had been described there. (LLM, conf=0.84)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredLiterature reviews indicate that SMS messages and other tools for communicating with patients between medical visits can improve health behaviours and physiological outcomes.
“Literature reviews indicate that SMS messages and other tools for communicating with patients between medical visits can improve health behaviours and physiological outcomes.”
From Impacts of e-health on the outcomes of care in low- and middle-income countries: where do we go from here? (2012) · cites this paper as [8]
The Discussion reports that eight of twelve text-messaging studies found a short-term effect on a behavioral or clinical outcome. But the Methods limit the review to interventions delivered primarily by text message; other communication tools were included only as supplements. The paper therefore does not establish the broader claim about other tools for communicating with patients between visits. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredLiterature reviews indicate that SMS messages and other tools for communicating with patients between medical visits can improve health behaviours and physiological outcomes.
“Literature reviews indicate that SMS messages and other tools for communicating with patients between medical visits can improve health behaviours and physiological outcomes.”
From Impacts of e-health on the outcomes of care in low- and middle-income countries: where do we go from here? (2012) · cites this paper as [7]
The Results (Effect of text messaging; page unavailable) report improved blood-glucose monitoring and reduced hemoglobin A1c in studies of text-message interventions, supporting the claim about health behaviours and physiological outcomes. The Methods (Inclusion and exclusion criteria; page unavailable) specify that the review included other communication technologies only when they supplemented text messaging; it does not establish that those other tools improve both outcomes. (LLM, conf=0.85)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredPatient communication via SMS messages, interactive voice response calls or other modalities is more likely to have an effect if the content is theoretically driven, and culture-specific factors may well influence uptake.
“Patient communication via SMS messages, interactive voice response calls or other modalities is more likely to have an effect if the content is theoretically driven, and culture-specific factors may well influence uptake.”
From Impacts of e-health on the outcomes of care in low- and middle-income countries: where do we go from here? (2012) · cites this paper as [8]
The Discussion says messaging interventions grounded in behavioral theory are more likely to succeed, supporting the claim about theoretically driven content. The Results mention culture-specific tailoring, and the Discussion mentions voice-response systems for people with limited literacy, but the paper does not establish that cultural factors influence uptake or extend the theory finding specifically to interactive voice response calls and other modalities. Page numbers were not available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
Some systematic evidence of the benefits of e-health in general, and of specific areas of e-health such as decision-support systems for clinicians or patient-targeted text messaging, already exists.
“Some systematic evidence of the benefits of e-health in general, [2][3][4] and of specific areas of e-health, such as decision-support systems for clinicians 5,6 or patient-targeted text messaging, 7-10 already exists.”
From Impacts of e-health on the outcomes of care in low- and middle-income countries: where do we go from here? (2012) · cites this paper as [7]
Some systematic evidence of the benefits of e-health in general, and of specific areas of e-health such as decision-support systems for clinicians or patient-targeted text messaging, already exists.
“Some systematic evidence of the benefits of e-health in general, [2][3][4] and of specific areas of e-health, such as decision-support systems for clinicians 5,6 or patient-targeted text messaging, 7-10 already exists.”
From Impacts of e-health on the outcomes of care in low- and middle-income countries: where do we go from here? (2012) · cites this paper as [8]
Studies on the use of SMS messages in support of the self-management of diabetes show potential for improving health behaviours and physiological control.
“Studies on the use of SMS messages in support of the selfmanagement of diabetes show potential for improving health behaviours and physiological control.”
From Impacts of e-health on the outcomes of care in low- and middle-income countries: where do we go from here? (2012) · cites this paper as [8]
Text messaging as a mobile health approach has been studied only to a limited extent, though results have been promising.
“Even a simple and widely generalizable approach to mobile health, text messaging, has been subject to limited study, albeit with promising results.9,10”
From Mobile Health (2011) · cites this paper as [10]
A systematic search for mHealth reviews in seven databases found several mHealth reviews that included aspects of monitoring such as adherence studies, behaviour change and attendance reminders.
“A systematic search for mHealth reviews in seven databases found several mHealth reviews that included aspects of monitoring such as adherence studies,17 behaviour change18 and attendance reminders.19 20”
From mHealth text and voice communication for monitoring people with chronic diseases in low-resource settings: a realist review (2018) · cites this paper as [18]
In high-income countries, interventions have included test results or instructions to adjust medication.
“In high-income countries, interventions have included these aspects of care.18 22 23”
From mHealth text and voice communication for monitoring people with chronic diseases in low-resource settings: a realist review (2018) · cites this paper as [18]
Three systematic reviews found reminders for disease monitoring improve healthcare processes, but with education through voice call and text messages, both health outcomes and care processes improve.
“Three systematic reviews found reminders for disease monitoring improve healthcare processes but with education through voice call and text messages, both health outcomes and care processes improve.18 22 23”
From mHealth text and voice communication for monitoring people with chronic diseases in low-resource settings: a realist review (2018) · cites this paper as [18]
SMS text messages can present timely cues, behavioral reinforcement, and social support through an inexpensive delivery medium.
“SMS text messages can present timely cues, behavioral reinforcement, and social support [19] all through an inexpensive delivery medium.”
From Assessing the Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Translation of a Text-Based Mobile Smoking Cessation Program in Samoa (TXTTaofiTapaa): Pilot Study (2018) · cites this paper as [19]
Text-messaging mobile approaches have gained wide acceptance as promising behavior-change interventions for youth, especially in healthcare.
“Increasingly, mobile methods, using text-messaging models, have been widely embraced as promising behavior change interventions for youth populations (Patrick, Griswold, Raab, & Intille, 2008), especially within the healthcare arena of disease management (Cole-Lewis & Kershaw, 2010)”
From Substance use recovery outcomes among a cohort of youth participating in a mobile-based texting aftercare pilot program (2014) · cites this paper as Cole-Lewis & Kershaw, 2010
In the literature, there is little evidence regarding the optimal dosing, frequency, and content of text messages to address CVD management.
“Moreover, in the literature, there is little evidence regarding the optimal dosing, frequency, and content of text messages to address CVD management.30, 31”
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.
Quasi-experimental trial citation is absent from the included-study list
MinorThe results cite reference 30 as an included quasi-experimental trial, but the exhaustive lists of five prevention and seven management studies do not include reference 30.
“Studies were traditional randomized controlled trials, with the exception of 2 randomized crossover trials (50, 54) and one quasi-experimental trial (30).”
“Of the 12 studies of interventions using text messaging as a platform for behavior change, 5 were for disease prevention (27, 45–48) and 7 for disease management (23, 50–55).”
Trial count excludes a reported quasi-experimental study
MinorThe results identify one included trial as quasi-experimental, but the discussion describes all twelve included trials as randomized controlled trials.
“Studies were traditional randomized controlled trials, with the exception of 2 randomized crossover trials (50, 54) and one quasi-experimental trial (30).”
“Twelve randomized controlled trials published between 2005 and June 2009 of interventions for disease prevention and management using text messaging were reviewed (Tables 1 and 2).”
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InfluentialHappy Ending: a randomized controlled trial of a digital multi‐media smoking cessation intervention
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InfluentialSEXINFO: A Sexual Health Text Messaging Service for San Francisco Youth
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InfluentialEffectiveness of mobile and internet intervention in patients with obese type 2 diabetes
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Influential"Sweet Talk": Text Messaging Support for Intensive Insulin Therapy for Young People with Diabetes
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InfluentialDesigning new technologies for illiterate populations: A study in mobile phone interface design
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Technological intervention for obese patients with type 2 diabetes
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Text Messaging in Healthcare: The Elephant Knocking at the Door
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The future of the Internet III
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Mobile healthcare initiatives for improving outpatient adherence: opportunities and barriers
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Flagged first, then by citations
1 of the 48 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.
Research works printed but not linked: 2
- 2009, HIV AIDS TREAT PRACT, 137, 2
- Bramley, 2005, The New Zealand medical journal, 118, U1494
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Free, C., Phillips, G., Galli, L., Watson, L., Felix, L., Edwards, P., Patel, V., & Haines, A. (2013) · PLoS Medicine · doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001362 · Cited by 1,766 · see citing works
“Our review updates earlier reviews and expands them either by using a more exhaustive search strategy, by presenting effect estimates and 95% confidence intervals for all reported outcomes [28,29,31], or by conducting meta-analysis, where sufficient trials report similar outcomes [28,29,31].”
A Systematic Review of Healthcare Applications for Smartphones
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Mobile Text Messaging for Health: A Systematic Review of Reviews
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“…common recommendation from review authors was the need for more rigorous study designs, including greater use of RCTs, larger and more representative sample sizes, and inclusion of different age groups, settings, contexts, and geographic locations (4, 6, 10, 11, 18, 32, 36, 38, 40, 42, 43, 47).”
BackgroundInfluentialSelf-citationScaling Up mHealth: Where Is the Evidence?
Tomlinson, M., Rotheram-Borus, M. J., Swartz, L., & Tsai, A. C. (2013) · PLoS Medicine · doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001382 · Cited by 673 · see citing works
“Similarly, few randomized trials evaluating the use of text message reminders to improve medication adherence for people with chronic illnesses have been conducted in LAMICs [15–18].”
BackgroundMobile Telephone Text Messaging for Medication Adherence in Chronic Disease: A Meta-analysis
Thakkar, J., Kurup, R., Laba, T.-L., Santo, K., Thiagalingam, A., Rodgers, A., Woodward, M., Redfern, J., & Chow, C. K. (2016) · JAMA Internal Medicine · doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2015.7667 · Cited by 685 · see citing works
“2 (35-83) 24 Hospital inpatient/United States Admitted for STEMI, NSTEMI, or PCI”
BackgroundEfficacy of text messaging-based interventions for health promotion: A meta-analysis
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“As SMS messages can be sent directly to a patient’s mobile phone, they are deemed just as convenient and as easy to use as an app [28-32].”
BackgroundFree, C., Phillips, G., Felix, L., Galli, L., Patel, V., & Edwards, P. (2010) · BMC Research Notes · doi:10.1186/1756-0500-3-250 · Cited by 539 · see citing works
“text messaging [3,4,28]) to individual diseases or healthcare fields (e.”
Effectiveness of mHealth interventions for patients with diabetes: An overview of systematic reviews
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“…and middle-income countries in general (Blaya, Fraser, & Holt, 2010; Kaplan, 2006), and for specific purposes such as behavior change interventions (Cole-Lewis & Kershaw, 2010; Fjeldsoe et al., 2009), diabetes control (Liang et al., 2011), sexual health (Lim et al., 2008), maternal healthcare…”
BackgroundMobile Phone Interventions to Increase Physical Activity and Reduce Weight
Stephens, J. D., & Allen, J. K. (2013) · The Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing · doi:10.1097/jcn.0b013e318250a3e7 · Cited by 365 · see citing works
“Favorable outcomes of face-to-face interventions have been enhanced by the use of the Internet and mobile phones.(2) However, there is limited reported evidence to the benefit of smartphone applications and text messaging programs to enhance behavioral modification related to weight loss and physical activity.”
BackgroundA Content Analysis of Popular Smartphone Apps for Smoking Cessation
Abroms, L. C., Westmaas, J. L., Bontemps-Jones, J. E., Ramani, R., & Mellerson, J. L. (2013) · American Journal of Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2013.07.008 · Cited by 325 · see citing works
Virtual online consultations: advantages and limitations (VOCAL) study
Greenhalgh, T., Vijayaraghavan, S., Wherton, J. P., Shaw, S. E., Byrne, E., Campbell-Richards, D., Bhattacharya, S., Hanson, P., Ramoutar, S., Gutteridge, C., et al. (2016) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2015-009388 · Cited by 336 · see citing works
“▸ Text messaging, for example, for supporting young people with chronic illness;(72) conveying results of tests(73) or sending health promotion messages.(74) 75 These studies (which were undertaken on population samples that may not be representative) showed that the text-messaging medium was popular with patients, wh…”
BackgroundRamachandran, A., Snehalatha, C., Ram, J., Selvam, S., Simon, M., Nanditha, A., Shetty, A. S., Godsland, I. F., Chaturvedi, N., Majeed, A., et al. (2013) · The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology · doi:10.1016/s2213-8587(13)70067-6 · Cited by 330 · see citing works
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“Text messages have recently begun to be used as a tool for behaviour change in a variety of health settings with mostly positive results (see Cole-Lewis & Kershaw, 2010).”
MethodBillieux, J., Philippot, P., Schmid, C., Maurage, P., De Mol, J., & Van der Linden, M. (2015) · Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy · doi:10.1002/cpp.1910 · Cited by 329 · see citing works
Bibliometric analysis of worldwide scientific literature in mobile - health: 2006–2016
Sweileh, W. M., Al-Jabi, S. W., AbuTaha, A. S., Zyoud, S. H., Anayah, F. M. A., & Sawalha, A. F. (2017) · BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making · doi:10.1186/s12911-017-0476-7 · Cited by 319 · see citing works
“2 “Text messaging as a tool for behavior change in disease prevention and management” 2010 Epidemiologic Reviews 419 [12] Review”
Method(2018) · doi:10.2196/mhealth.8383 · Cited by 266 · see citing works
“Serving as a 2-way interactive communication tool, mobile health (mHealth) can present opportunities for researchers and program developers to capitalize on the existing cultural behaviors of their target populations, given their rates of access to and use of mobile technology [4].”
Wang, J. B., Cadmus-Bertram, L. A., Natarajan, L., White, M. M., Madanat, H., Nichols, J. F., Ayala, G. X., & Pierce, J. P. (2015) · Telemedicine and e-Health · doi:10.1089/tmj.2014.0176 · Cited by 308 · see citing works
“Researchers agree that text messaging has the potential to reach large audiences, including traditionally underserved populations,(14) and possibly serve as an inexpensive intervention modality.(15) Previous studies have shown that text messaging as a primary mode of communication can be successful for diabetes manage…”
Dale, L. P., Whittaker, R., Jiang, Y., Stewart, R., Rolleston, A. K., & Maddison, R. (2015) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.4944 · Cited by 282 · see citing works
“Increasingly, mHealth, the use of mobile technology (eg, short message service [SMS] text messaging, video messaging, instant messaging, the Internet, apps, and voice calling) to deliver health care, is being utilized in disease prevention and management [15,16].”
“What do they snapchat about?” Patterns of use in time-limited instant messaging service
Piwek, L., & Joinson, A. (2016) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2015.08.026 · Cited by 281 · see citing works
Ryan, R. E., Santesso, N., Lowe, D., Hill, S., Grimshaw, J. M., Prictor, M., Kaufman, C., Cowie, G., & Taylor, M. (2014) · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/14651858.cd007768.pub3 · Cited by 273 · see citing works
Text Messaging-Based Interventions for Smoking Cessation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Scott‐Sheldon, L. A. J., Lantini, R., Jennings, E., Thind, H. K., Rosen, R. K., Salmoirago‐Blotcher, E., & Bock, B. C. (2016) · JMIR mhealth and uhealth · doi:10.2196/mhealth.5436 · Cited by 227 · see citing works
“Prior reviews of the literature have largely focused on mHealth technologies including text messaging and mobile phone apps, for health promotion, disease prevention, or disease management more broadly; with smoking cessation being one of a number of outcome behaviors [13,18-22].”
George, M. J., & Odgers, C. L. (2015) · Perspectives on Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/1745691615596788 · Cited by 266 · see citing works
“…field has already implemented mobile-phone-based interventions that are effective in disease management and promoting healthy behaviors (for a review, see Cole-Lewis & Kershaw, 2010), and this could be an incredibly positive direction for psychological science (Schueller, Muñoz, & Mohr, 2013).”
BackgroundA Development and Evaluation Process for mHealth Interventions: Examples From New Zealand
Whittaker, R., Merry, S., Dorey, E., & Maddison, R. (2012) · Journal of Health Communication · doi:10.1080/10810730.2011.649103 · Cited by 263 · see citing works
“Some researchers may argue that the comparison should include similar contact time (Cole-Lewis & Kershaw, 2010).”
BackgroundHanauer, D. A., Wentzell, K., Laffel, N., & Laffel, L. M. (2009) · Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics · doi:10.1089/dia.2008.0022 · Cited by 261 · see citing works
Rest Is Not Idleness: Implications of the Brain’s Default Mode for Human Development and Education
Immordino-Yang, M. H., Christodoulou, J. A., & Singh, V. (2012) · Perspectives on Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/1745691612447308 · Cited by 245 · see citing works
Smart Devices for Older Adults Managing Chronic Disease: A Scoping Review
Kim, B. Y., & Lee, J. (2017) · JMIR mHealth and uHealth · doi:10.2196/mhealth.7141 · Cited by 217 · see citing works
“More importantly, diabetes management interventions via text messaging for adolescents and young adults demonstrated increased blood glucose monitoring frequency and clinically significant improvement in HbA1c level [4].”
BackgroundInfluentialRandomized Controlled Pilot Study Testing Use of Smartphone Technology for Obesity Treatment
Allen, J. K., Stephens, J. D., Himmelfarb, C. D., Stewart, K. J., & Hauck, S. (2013) · Journal of Obesity · doi:10.1155/2013/151597 · Cited by 214 · see citing works
“There is research evidence suggesting that mobile phones are a useful tool for interventions seeking to improve health outcomes [7, 8].”
BackgroundPreventive Health Behavior Change Text Message Interventions: A Meta-analysis
Armanasco, A. A., Miller, Y. D., Fjeldsoe, B. S., & Marshall, A. L. (2017) · American Journal of Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2016.10.042 · Cited by 210 · see citing works
“The first systematic reviews of text message interventions appeared in 2009.(2,3) Both acknowledged that text message interventions produced positive short-term behavior change, but few high-quality studies were available.”
BackgroundMobile Health Devices as Tools for Worldwide Cardiovascular Risk Reduction and Disease Management
Piette, J. D., List, J. M., Rana, G., Townsend, W. A., Striplin, D., & Heisler, M. (2015) · Circulation · doi:10.1161/circulationaha.114.008723 · Cited by 223 · see citing works
“powered to detect a difference in the specific characteristics of the intervention.(28) Eight of the 9 studies found evidence to support text messaging as a tool for behavior change.”
BackgroundLund, S., Hemed, M., Nielsen, B., Said, A., Said, K., Makungu, M., & Rasch, V (2012) · BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology · doi:10.1111/j.1471-0528.2012.03413.x · Cited by 228 · see citing works
Bogale, B., Mørkrid, K., O’Donnell, B., Ghanem, B., Abu Ward, I., Abu Khader, K., Isbeih, M., Frost, M., Baniode, M., Hijaz, T., et al. (2020) · BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making · doi:10.1186/s12911-019-1002-x · Cited by 234 · see citing works
Goode, A. D., Lawler, S., Brakenridge, C. L., Reeves, M. M., & Eakin, E. (2015) · Journal of Cancer Survivorship · doi:10.1007/s11764-015-0442-2 · Cited by 224 · see citing works
Pilot evaluation of the text4baby mobile health program
Evans, W. D., Wallace, J. L., & Snider, J. W. (2012) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/1471-2458-12-1031 · Cited by 207 · see citing works
“in effecting behavior change [6].”
Dowshen, N., Kuhns, L. M., Johnson, A. K., Holoyda, B. J., & Garofalo, R. (2012) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.2015 · Cited by 203 · see citing works
“Additionally, recent reviews of the literature on text messaging interventions for health behavior change have identified key characteristics for success, including interactivity and tailoring of messages, which were associated with higher retention rates in multiple studies [30].”
BackgroundThe history and future of digital health in the field of behavioral medicine
Arigo, D., Jake‐Schoffman, D. E., Wolin, K. Y., Beckjord, E. B., Hekler, E. B., & Pagoto, S. (2019) · Journal of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1007/s10865-018-9966-z · Cited by 189 · see citing works
Hebden, L., Cook, A. S., van der Ploeg, H. P., King, L., Bauman, A. E., & Allman-Farinelli, M. A. (2013) · Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics · doi:10.1111/jhn.12155 · Cited by 191 · see citing works
Anstey Watkins, J. O. T., Goudge, J., Gómez-Olivé, F. X., & Griffiths, F. (2018) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.01.011 · Cited by 196 · see citing works
“Lines of evidence of the effectiveness of mHealth solutions in LMICs have been inconsistent in systematic reviews (Bärnighausen et al., 2011; Bloomfield et al., 2014; Catalani et al., 2013; Cole-Lewis and Kershaw, 2010; Fjeldsoe et al., 2009; Free et al., 2013; Krishna et al., 2009; Mbuagbaw et al., 2015; Velthoven et…”
BackgroundTaj, F., Klein, M. C. A., & van Halteren, A. (2019) · JMIR mhealth and uhealth · doi:10.2196/13311 · Cited by 170 · see citing works
“44 [38] Behavior change interventions delivered by mobile telephone short message service 43 [39] Text messaging as a tool for behavior change in disease prevention and management 41 [40] The theory of planned behavior 41 [41] Persuasive technology: using computers to change what we think and do”
MethodDepression and Cardiovascular Disease
Elderon, L., & Whooley, M. A. (2013) · Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases · doi:10.1016/j.pcad.2013.03.010 · Cited by 200 · see citing works
“In a 2010 review of the literature, 8 of 9 mobile phone applications intended for disease prevention or management were found to bemore effective than usual care.(131) While all of the trials included in this reviewwere studying applications for diabetes management, other studies have also found positive results for m…”
BackgroundRedesigning Primary Care to Tackle the Global Epidemic of Noncommunicable Disease
Kruk, M. E., Nígenda, G., & Knaul, F. M. (2015) · American Journal of Public Health · doi:10.2105/ajph.2014.302392 · Cited by 189 · see citing works
Mobile phones as medical devices in mental disorder treatment: an overview
Gravenhorst, F., Muaremi, A., Bardram, J. E., Grünerbl, A., Mayora, O., Wurzer, G., Frost, M. M., Osmani, V., Bert Arnrich, A., Lukowicz, P., et al. (2014) · Personal and Ubiquitous Computing · doi:10.1007/s00779-014-0829-5 · Cited by 196 · see citing works
“With similar concepts, text messages also achieved significant reductions of stress, anxiety and depression [32] or to successfully change patients’ behavior [12].”
BackgroundMbuagbaw, L., Mursleen, S., Lytvyn, L., Smieja, M., Dolovich, L., & Thabane, L. (2015) · BMC Health Services Research · doi:10.1186/s12913-014-0654-6 · Cited by 187 · see citing works
“CRITERIA Cole-Lewis 2010 [19] De Jongh 2012 [18] Finitsis 2014 [20] GurolUrganci 2012 [22] GurolUrganci 2013 [21] Horvath 2012 [6] Militello 2012 [23] Nglazi 2013 [24] VodopivecJamsek 2012 [25]”
BackgroundInfluentialBugge, C., Williams, B., Hagen, S., Logan, J., Glazener, C., Pringle, S., & Sinclair, L. (2013) · Trials · doi:10.1186/1745-6215-14-353 · Cited by 175 · see citing works
“Additional file 1: Worked example using ADePT [51-69].”
MethodIssues in mHealth: Findings From Key Informant Interviews
Whittaker, R. (2012) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.1989 · Cited by 173 · see citing works
Dale, L. P., Dobson, R., Whittaker, R., & Maddison, R. (2015) · European Journal of Preventive Cardiology · doi:10.1177/2047487315613462 · Cited by 169 · see citing works
Mobile Health in the Developing World: Review of Literature and Lessons From a Case Study
Latif, S., Rana, R. K., Qadir, J., Ali, A., Imran, M. A., & Younis, M. S. (2017) · IEEE Access · doi:10.1109/access.2017.2710800 · Cited by 175 · see citing works
“mHealth has been considered as one of the best tools for disease treatment and health improvement [14], [17], by providing imperative health information and regular care [18]–[20].”
BackgroundPiette, J., Lun, K., Moura, L., Fraser, H., Mechael, P., Powell, J., & Khoja, S. (2012) · Bulletin of the World Health Organization · doi:10.2471/blt.11.099069 · Cited by 188 · see citing works
Semple, J. L., Sharpe, S., Murnaghan, M. L., Theodoropoulos, J., & Metcalfe, K. A. (2015) · JMIR mHealth and uHealth · doi:10.2196/mhealth.3929 · Cited by 190 · see citing works
“Text messaging is being used to provide health education [6], to issue reminders for appointments [7], and to improve the efficiency of health systems overall [8,9].”
Amorim, A. B., Pappas, E., Simić, M., Ferreira, M. L., Jennings, M. D., Tiedemann, A., Carvalho‐e‐Silva, A. P., Caputo, E. L., Kongsted, A., & Ferreira, P. H. (2019) · BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders · doi:10.1186/s12891-019-2454-y · Cited by 159 · see citing works
Orr, J. A., & King, R. J. (2015) · Health Psychology Review · doi:10.1080/17437199.2015.1022847 · Cited by 174 · see citing works
“…compared to those that are not guided by theory (Michie & Johnston, 2012; NICE, 2007), very few SMS studies have reported that the SMS intervention has been based on a health behaviour theory (Abroms, Padmanabhan, & Evans, 2012; Cole-Lewis & Kershaw, 2010; Fjeldsoe, Marshall, & Miller, 2009).”
BackgroundEfficacy of SMS Text Message Interventions for Smoking Cessation: A Meta-Analysis
Spohr, S. A., Nandy, R. R., Gandhiraj, D., Vemulapalli, A., Anne, S., & Walters, S. T. (2015) · Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment · doi:10.1016/j.jsat.2015.01.011 · Cited by 166 · see citing works
“Behavioral interventions delivered by mobile phone have targeted a broad array of health behaviors (e.g., diet, weight loss, smoking cessation, medication adherence, diabetes management) (Cole-Lewis & Kershaw, 2010).”
BackgroundDesigning and Evaluating mHealth Interventions for Vulnerable Populations: A Systematic Review
Stowell, E., Lyson, M. C., Saksono, H., Wurth, R. C., Jimison, H., Pavel, M., & Parker, A. G. (2018) · Proceedings of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/3173574.3173589 · Cited by 169 · see citing works
“71% of evaluation papers) and in prior reviews [24,56,127].”
BackgroundKuerbis, A., Mulliken, A., Muench, F. J., Moore, A. A., & Gardner, D. S. (2017) · Mental Health and Addiction Research · doi:10.15761/mhar.1000136 · Cited by 174 · see citing works
“While research in this area is still in the relatively early stages [18], many studies demonstrate feasibility and initial effectiveness across a variety of populations and health problems [13,14,19,20].”
Hoque, M. R. (2016) · BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making · doi:10.1186/s12911-016-0289-0 · Cited by 181 · see citing works
“It has been regarded as best tools for curing diseases and improving health condition [15, 16].”
MethodMilitello, L. K., Kelly, S. A., & Melnyk, B. M. (2012) · Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing · doi:10.1111/j.1741-6787.2011.00239.x · Cited by 166 · see citing works
Piette, J. D., Datwani, H., Gaudioso, S., Foster, S. M., Westphal, J., Perry, W., Rodríguez-Saldaña, J., Mendoza-Avelares, M. O., & Marinec, N. (2012) · Telemedicine and e-Health · doi:10.1089/tmj.2011.0271 · Cited by 172 · see citing works
Who Gives a Tweet: Assessing Patients’ Interest in the Use of Social Media for Health Care
Fisher, J., & Clayton, M. (2012) · Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing · doi:10.1111/j.1741-6787.2012.00243.x · Cited by 166 · see citing works
Goodarzi, M., Ebrahimzadeh, I., Rabi, A. S., Saeedipor, B., & Jafarabadi, M. A. (2012) · Journal of Diabetes & Metabolic Disorders · doi:10.1186/2251-6581-11-10 · Cited by 160 · see citing works
Shaw, S. E., Wherton, J. P., Vijayaraghavan, S., Morris, J. H., Bhattacharya, S., Hanson, P., Campbell-Richards, D., Ramoutar, S., Collard, A., Hodkinson, I., et al. (2018) · Health Services and Delivery Research · doi:10.3310/hsdr06210 · Cited by 142 · see citing works
Breastfeeding and Social Media among First-Time African American Mothers
Asiodu, I., Waters, C., Dailey, D. E., Lee, K. A., & Lyndon, A. (2015) · Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic and Neonatal Nursing · doi:10.1111/1552-6909.12552 · Cited by 153 · see citing works
Aguilera, A., & Muñoz, R. F. (2011) · Professional Psychology: Research and Practice · doi:10.1037/a0025499 · Cited by 159 · see citing works
“…reminders (Leong et al., 2006), medication reminders (Miloh et al., 2009), and health information ( Studies have shown initial efficacy for SMS as a tool to improve weight loss, increase smoking cessation, and reduce A1c levels in patients with diabetes (as noted in Cole-Lewis & Kershaw, 2010).”
MethodBloomfield, G. S., Vedanthan, R., Vasudevan, L., Kithei, A., Were, M., & Velazquez, E. J. (2014) · Globalization and Health · doi:10.1186/1744-8603-10-49 · Cited by 154 · see citing works
“Mobile phones have been leveraged for client health education using text messaging to address risk factors for NCDs in developed countries [35].”
BackgroundKaplan, R. M., & Stone, A. A. (2013) · Annual Review of Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-113011-143736 · Cited by 144 · see citing works
Mbuagbaw, L., van der Kop, M. L., Lester, R. T., Thirumurthy, H., Pop-Eleches, C., Ye, C., Smieja, M., Dolovich, L., Mills, E. J., & Thabane, L. (2013) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2013-003950 · Cited by 147 · see citing works
Physical Activity Text Messaging Interventions in Adults: A Systematic Review
Buchholz, S. W., Wilbur, J., Ingram, D., & Fogg, L. (2013) · Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing · doi:10.1111/wvn.12002 · Cited by 140 · see citing works
“Text messaging is emerging internationally as a method to communicate with and motivate individuals to engage in healthy behaviors (Cohall & Hyden, 2008; Cole-Lewis & Kershaw, 2010; Krishna, Boren, & Balas, 2009).”
BackgroundText Message Interventions for Physical Activity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Smith, D. M. Y., Duque, L., Huffman, J. C., Healy, B. C., & Celano, C. M. (2019) · American Journal of Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2019.08.014 · Cited by 130 · see citing works
Chapman, E., Haby, M. M., Toma, T., de Bortoli, M. C., Illanes, E., Oliveros, M., & Barreto, J. O. M. (2020) · Implementation Science · doi:10.1186/s13012-020-0974-3 · Cited by 102 · see citing works
Burrell, E., Pines, H. A., Robbie, E., Coleman, L., Murphy, R., Hess, K. L., Anton, P. A., & Gorbach, P. M. (2012) · AIDS and Behavior · doi:10.1007/s10461-012-0277-z · Cited by 138 · see citing works
“research [7–14], including HIV/AIDS related clinical trials.”
Gold, J., Lim, M. S., Hellard, M. E., Hocking, J. S., & Keogh, L. (2010) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/1471-2458-10-792 · Cited by 145 · see citing works
Computer-based interventions for drug use disorders: A systematic review
Moore, B. A., Fazzino, T. L., Garnet, B., Cutter, C. J., & Barry, D. T. (2010) · Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment · doi:10.1016/j.jsat.2010.11.002 · Cited by 141 · see citing works
Rubinstein, A., Miranda, J. J., Beratarrechea, A. G., Diez‐Canseco, F., Kanter, R., Gutiérrez, L., Bernabé‐Ortiz, A., Irazola, V. E., Fernandez, A., Letona, P., et al. (2015) · The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology · doi:10.1016/s2213-8587(15)00381-2 · Cited by 137 · see citing works
Mobile phone-based behavioural interventions for health: A systematic review
Buhi, E. R., Trudnak, T. E., Martinasek, M. P., Oberne, A. B., Fuhrmann, H. J., & McDermott, R. J. (2013) · Health Education Journal · doi:10.1177/0017896912452071 · Cited by 138 · see citing works
Effect of Short Message Service on Infant Feeding Practice
Jiang, H., Li, M., Wen, L. M., Hu, Q., Yang, D., He, G., Baur, L. A., Dibley, M. J., & Qian, X. (2014) · Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine · doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2014.58 · Cited by 136 · see citing works
Text Messaging to Motivate Walking in Older African Americans
Kim, B. H., & Glanz, K. (2012) · American Journal of Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2012.09.050 · Cited by 138 · see citing works
A global perspective on cardiovascular disease in vulnerable populations
Yeates, K., Lohfeld, L., Sleeth, J., Morales, F., Rajkotia, Y., & Ogedegbe, O. (2015) · Canadian Journal of Cardiology · doi:10.1016/j.cjca.2015.06.035 · Cited by 136 · see citing works
Can't surf, won't surf: The digital divide in mental health
Ennis, L., Rose, D., Denis, M., Pandit, N., & Wykes, T. (2012) · Journal of Mental Health · doi:10.3109/09638237.2012.689437 · Cited by 127 · see citing works
“Research has already shown that text messages have been successful in the management of long-term conditions such as diabetes (Cole-Lewis & Kershaw, 2010).”
BackgroundMarshall, S. J., & Ramirez, E. R. (2011) · American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine · doi:10.1177/1559827610395487 · Cited by 142 · see citing works
Determining the Impact of Text Messaging for Sexual Health Promotion to Young People
Gold, J., Lim, M. S. C., Hocking, J. S., Keogh, L. A., Spelman, T. D., & Hellard, M. E. (2010) · Sexually Transmitted Diseases · doi:10.1097/olq.0b013e3181f68d7b · Cited by 131 · see citing works
Mobile Phone Text Messaging: Tool for Malaria Control in Africa
Zurovac, D., Talisuna, A. O., & Snow, R. W. (2012) · PLoS Medicine · doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001176 · Cited by 135 · see citing works
“Studies in developed countries [13,38, 39] and an increasing number of rigorous trials in Africa [40,41] have investigated the impact of text message reminders on patient adherence to long-term therapies for infectious and noncommunicable diseases, and all have shown encouraging results.”
BackgroundDomek, G., Contreras-Roldan, I. L., O'Leary, S., Bull, S., Furniss, A., Kempe, A., & Asturias, E. (2016) · Vaccine · doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2016.03.065 · Cited by 120 · see citing works
Allison, S. M., Bauermeister, J. A., Bull, S. S., Lightfoot, M. A., Mustanski, B. S., Shegog, R., & Levine, D. (2012) · Journal of Adolescent Health · doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2012.06.012 · Cited by 127 · see citing works
“nd technology to promote sexual health, particularly in the HIV revention field [6–9].”
Shaw, R., & Bosworth, H. (2012) · Health Informatics Journal · doi:10.1177/1460458212442422 · Cited by 131 · see citing works
Cormick, G., Kim, N. A., Rodgers, A., Gibbons, L., Buekens, P. M., Belizán, J. M., & Althabe, F. (2012) · Reproductive Health · doi:10.1186/1742-4755-9-9 · Cited by 118 · see citing works
“[15] User guidelines need to be established for mHealth programs to help manage privacy and security issues especially considering mobile phones are often shared among family and community members [16].”
BackgroundAgyapong, V. I. O., Mrklas, K., Juhás, M., Omeje, J., Ohinmaa, A. E., Dursun, S. M., & Greenshaw, A. J. (2016) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-016-1104-2 · Cited by 115 · see citing works
“As noted by Lim and colleagues, text messaging is a ‘respectful and useful mode of sending a message’ that lacks the marketing and spamming challenges associated with other similar technologies [17, 18].”
BackgroundAbroms, L. C., Ahuja, M., Kodl, Y., Thaweethai, L., Sims, J., Winickoff, J. P., & Windsor, R. A. (2012) · Journal of Health Communication · doi:10.1080/10810730.2011.649159 · Cited by 117 · see citing works
“…text messaging system that makes use of interactive and personalized text messages, features that appear to be more developed than in previous text messaging programs for smoking cessation and other behaviors (Abroms, Padmanabhan, & Evans, 2012; Cole-Lewis & Kershaw 2010; Fjeldsoe et al., 2009).”
BackgroundTheoretical Advancements in mHealth: A Systematic Review of Mobile Apps
Chib, A., & Lin, S. H. (2018) · Journal of Health Communication · doi:10.1080/10810730.2018.1544676 · Cited by 107 · see citing works
“In the first group, reviews found text messages as a form of one-to-many (mass) communication for dissemination of health information (Cole-Lewis & Kershaw, 2010; Higgs et al., 2014).”
BackgroundLund, S., Rasch, V., Hemed, M., Boas, I. M., Said, A., Said, K., Makundu, M. H., & Nielsen, B. B. (2014) · JMIR mhealth and uhealth · doi:10.2196/mhealth.2941 · Cited by 120 · see citing works
“Our results and the study from Kenya are in accordance with the limited existing literature on mHealth as a moderate tool for behavioral change, and indicate that positive behavioral effects can be reached in developing countries [2,3,31].”
ResultUsing a Smartphone Application to Promote Healthy Dietary Behaviours and Local Food Consumption
Gilliland, J., Sadler, R., Clark, A., O’Connor, C., Milczarek, M., & Doherty, S. (2015) · BioMed Research International · doi:10.1155/2015/841368 · Cited by 112 · see citing works
“To help gauge participation in and influence of the program, data were collected using an upfront food survey, message uptake tracking, experience sampling interviews, and a follow-up survey.”
MethodJones, K., Eathington, P., Baldwin, K. A., & Sipsma, H. L. (2014) · Sexually Transmitted Diseases · doi:10.1097/olq.0000000000000146 · Cited by 115 · see citing works
Chib, A., Wilkin, H., Ling, L. X., Hoefman, B., & Van Biejma, H. (2012) · Journal of Health Communication · doi:10.1080/10810730.2011.649104 · Cited by 118 · see citing works
“However, we find that evidence of the effectiveness of SMS for wide information dissemination in developing countries a current gap in the literature (Cole-Lewis & Kershaw, 2010), particularly in terms of demonstrating health-related outcomes.”
BackgroundThe Paradoxes of Telehealth: a Review of the Literature 2000–2015
Standing, C., Standing, S., McDermott, M., Gururajan, R., & Kiani Mavi, R. (2018) · Systems Research and Behavioral Science · doi:10.1002/sres.2442 · Cited by 105 · see citing works
Tanner, A. E., Mann‐Jackson, L., Song, E., Alonzo, J., Schafer, K. R., Hall, E. A., Garcia, J. M., & Rhodes, S. D. (2016) · AIDS Education and Prevention · doi:10.1521/aeap.2016.28.3.216 · Cited by 96 · see citing works
Conserve, D. F., Mayo‐Wilson, L. J., de Aguiar, C. G., Shin, G. D., Handler, L., & Maman, S. (2016) · Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare · doi:10.1177/1357633x16639186 · Cited by 112 · see citing works
“As mobile phone text messaging has been shown to promote patient–physician communication, text messages providing information on HIV testing may encourage high-risk individuals to seek community or clinic-based HTS.(23,25,31) Mobile phone text messaging may also be an effective tool to improve HIV testing selfefficacy…”
BackgroundMcInnes, D. K., Li, A. E., & Hogan, T. P. (2013) · American Journal of Public Health · doi:10.2105/ajph.2013.301623 · Cited by 107 · see citing works
Use of Text Messaging for Maternal and Infant Health: A Systematic Review of the Literature
Poorman, E., Gazmararian, J., Parker, R. M., Yang, B., & Elon, L. (2015) · Maternal and Child Health Journal · doi:10.1007/s10995-014-1595-8 · Cited by 116 · see citing works
“S im s 2 0 1 2 [3 3 ] R ed u ct io n in m is se d”
BackgroundInfluentialFlax, V. L., Negerie, M., Ibrahim, A. U., Leatherman, S. T., Daza, E. J., & Bentley, M. E. (2014) · Journal of Nutrition · doi:10.3945/jn.113.190124 · Cited by 109 · see citing works
“Reviews of microcredit and health (12) and mobile health (15,16) interventions found variable quality evidence and noted methodologic gaps in the literature.”
Background
- Authors
- Cole-Lewis, H., & Kershaw, T.
- Affiliations
- Yale University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Cole-Lewis, H.
- Venue
- Epidemiologic Reviews
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2010-03-30
- Volume
- 32
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 56-69
- ISSN
- 0193-936X (ISSN-L)
- 1478-6729
- PMC
- PMC3082846
- OpenAlex
- W2108664775
- Cited by
- 1,190
- References
- 48
- Citations by year
- 2026: 12 · 2025: 22 · 2024: 31 · 2023: 35 · 2022: 58 · 2021: 63 · 2020: 83 · 2019: 94 · 2018: 113 · 2017: 108 · 2016: 103 · 2015: 131 · 2014: 111 · 2013: 103 · 2012: 83
- FWCI
- 13.53
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Epidemiologic Reviews (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- HighWire Press Open Archive (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- Yale University
- National Institutes of Health
- National Institute of Mental Health (T32MH020031)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Mobile Health and mHealth Applications
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Information Systems › Mobile Learning in Education
- Social Sciences › Health › Social Media in Health Education
- Keywords
- text messaging, mobile health, behaviour change interventions, disease prevention, disease management, health behavior change, clinical outcomes, message frequency
- MeSH terms
- Humans, User-Computer Interface, Disease Management, Risk Reduction Behavior, Cell Phone
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Claims read under definition version 3 (extract-v3) on 2026-09-28.
Classified by jev-1.13-20260917 (gold-guideline-v0.2) on 2026-09-28.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
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