TY - JOUR
T1 - Recruitment and retention in an SMS-based health education program
T2 - Lessons learned from Text2BHealthy
AU - Speirs, Katherine E.
AU - Grutzmacher, Stephanie K.
AU - Munger, Ashley L.
AU - Messina, Lauren A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2015.
PY - 2016/9/1
Y1 - 2016/9/1
N2 - While text messages or short messaging service programs are increasingly utilized for delivering health education, few studies have explored the unique challenges of recruiting and retaining participants in such programs. This study utilizes survey and focus group data from Text2BHealthy, a short messaging service-based nutrition and physical activity promotion program, to examine barriers to enrollment and facilitators of retention among parents of elementary school students. Results show that participants were hard to reach with recruitment materials, had difficulty with self-enrollment, and were apprehensive about program costs. However, 89-90 percent of participants were retained. Results suggest that providing manual enrollment options, alternative program delivery methods (e.g. email messages), and opportunities to reenroll may facilitate participation in short messaging service-based health education and promotion programs.
AB - While text messages or short messaging service programs are increasingly utilized for delivering health education, few studies have explored the unique challenges of recruiting and retaining participants in such programs. This study utilizes survey and focus group data from Text2BHealthy, a short messaging service-based nutrition and physical activity promotion program, to examine barriers to enrollment and facilitators of retention among parents of elementary school students. Results show that participants were hard to reach with recruitment materials, had difficulty with self-enrollment, and were apprehensive about program costs. However, 89-90 percent of participants were retained. Results suggest that providing manual enrollment options, alternative program delivery methods (e.g. email messages), and opportunities to reenroll may facilitate participation in short messaging service-based health education and promotion programs.
KW - mobile health
KW - nutrition education
KW - recruitment
KW - retention
KW - text messages
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84981309801&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84981309801&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/1460458215577995
DO - 10.1177/1460458215577995
M3 - Article
C2 - 25916832
AN - SCOPUS:84981309801
SN - 1460-4582
VL - 22
SP - 651
EP - 658
JO - Health Informatics Journal
JF - Health Informatics Journal
IS - 3
ER -