A study published in the journal Pediatrics found that parents who received text messages were more likely to obtain the second dose of the influenza vaccine for their children than those who received written reminders.
According to research published in NPR’s “Shots,” kids eight years old and younger need two doses of the flu vaccine to be protected from the virus, but typically only about half of those who receive the first shot also get the follow-up vaccine. In an attempt to improve those numbers, researchers at pediatric clinics in New York decided to see how different types of reminders influenced second vaccine rates.
The study involved 660 families with children between the ages of six months and eight years old who had received the first shot and were due for a second dose. The families were placed into one of three groups:
- A written reminder.
- A written reminder and an electronic text message.
- A written reminder and an electronic text message that also included extra vaccine-related information.
Those receiving text messages received three reminders prior to the second dose, one on the day of the scheduled second dose, and one two weeks after the second scheduled dose.
Results
After examining the second dose data, researchers uncovered:
- 57.1 percent of children in the written reminder only group received the second dose.
- 66.7 percent of children in the written reminder and text message group received the second dose.
- 72.7 percent of children in the written reminder and educational text message group received the second dose.
Additionally, researchers surveyed parents who brought their children in for a second dose and found:
- 60.8 percent said the messages were the main reason or part of the reason they brought their child in to get a second dose.
- 70.1% said the messages got them to bring their child in for a second dose sooner than they would have normally.
Dr. Silverman comments
It seems like smartphones are attached to people at the hips these days, so what better way to reach parents than by sending a reminder right to their pocket. We saw similar results when looking at the prevalence of type-2 diabetes in at-risk men. We need to continue sending health and wellness reminders to people’s cell phones. Clearly it’s working.
Related source: Medscape, iHealthBeat