This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Inclusion of vaccine education improved efficacy of text message reminders
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Embedding vaccine education information within text message vaccine reminders significantly improved timely receipt of a second dose of influenza vaccine among low-income, urban, minority populations, according to a study published in Pediatrics.
“Although reminder-recall systems that notify families that their child needs a vaccine are widely recommended, traditional strategies implemented via mail or telephone have had limited to no efficacy in urban, low-income, and minority populations who are also at high risk for under-vaccination,” researcher Melissa S. Stockwell, MD, MPH, of Columbia University Medical Center, and colleagues wrote.
Melissa S. Stockwell
To determine efficacy of vaccine reminders via text message with and without vaccine education, researchers randomized families of 660 children aged 6 months to 8 years to receive an educational text message, a conventional text message or a written reminder only. The majority of families were Latino, publicly insured and familiar with text messaging, according to researchers.
All families received written reminders. Study participants assigned to receive usual care did not receive anything beyond the written reminder. Those who received conventional text message reminders received additional reminders three times before their second dose of influenza vaccine was due, on the day it was due and 2 weeks after it was due.
Study participants who received educational text message reminders received educational information that explained their child was not protected until they received the second dose, that it may take 2 weeks after the second dose to be fully protected and that doctors recommend a second dose. Messages were sent in English or Spanish depending on participant preference.
Prior to intervention, most parents considered influenza vaccination safe and effective and 71.9% thought their child was somewhat protected after receiving one dose of influenza vaccine.
Children who received educational text messages were significantly more likely to receive their second dose on time (P=.003) and/or within two weeks of its due date (P<.001) compared with children who received conventional text messages or a single written reminder.
Approximately 60% of parents said reminders were the main reason or a contributing factor to bringing their child to receive a second dose of influenza vaccine. Seventy percent of parents said reminders affected how quickly they brought their child for a second dose.
“In this low-income, urban, minority population, embedding health literacy information improved the effectiveness of text message reminders in promoting timely delivery of a second dose of influenza vaccine, compared with conventional text messages and written reminder only,” Stockwell and colleagues wrote.
Disclosure: One researcher reported financial ties with Pfizer, Merck and Sharp & Dohme. The other researchers reported no relevant financial disclosures.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts