Introduction
The evolving landscape of communication methods offers new opportunities for health interventions. Mobile telephone Short Message Service (SMS), widely known as text messaging, is a promising method for delivering health behavior change interventions. Its broad reach, personalized tailoring, and instant, asynchronous delivery make it a potentially effective channel for influencing health behaviors across populations.
Methodology
This paper reviews research on using short message service (SMS) in health behavior change interventions. A comprehensive electronic database search was conducted, focusing on studies published between January 1990 and March 2008. Studies included: (1) primarily used SMS for intervention delivery, (2) assessed behavior changes with pre-post assessments, and (3) were peer-reviewed scientific journal articles in English.
Findings
From 33 studies, 14 met the criteria. Four focused on preventive health behaviors (e.g., smoking cessation), and ten on clinical care (e.g., diabetes self-management). Positive behavior changes were seen in 13 of 14 studies, showing the potential of short message service interventions. Key features included intervention initiation, SMS dialogue initiation, tailored content, and interactivity. Methodological limitations in current short message service research were also noted.
Conclusion
This review indicates that short message service interventions have positive short-term behavior change outcomes. More research is needed for preventive health interventions, incorporating impactful features and considering participant acceptance. Improving research quality in this field is crucial to fully explore short message service potential in public health.
