224102 Evaluation of the text4baby mobile health program

Monday, November 8, 2010

W. Douglas Evans, PhD , Department of Prevention & Community Health, The George Washington University, Washington, DC
Formally launched in February 2010, the text4baby (T4B) mobile health program aims to build a public health brand, promote positive self-efficacy for pre-natal care, and encourage pre-natal and post-partum health care behaviors among Medicaid-eligible women nationwide. T4B delivers text messages about pre-natal and post-partum health behaviors.

T4B is being evaluated in a randomized controlled cross-site design. Demonstration sites follow a common protocol based on comparison of text messaging plus usual health care compared to usual care alone. The evaluation uses a multi-theory approach to behavior change including the Health Belief Model (HBM), Diffusion of Innovations, and Social Cognitive Theory (SCT). Finally, the evaluation will examine T4B social marketing strategies and development of brand equity among Medicaid-eligible pregnant women and new mothers.

T4B seeks to answer the following evaluation questions: - What is the level of exposure to the text4baby brand among the target audience? - How do audience members receive and react to branded messages? - What effects does text4baby have on health knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, self-efficacy and social norms? - What effects does text4baby have on health behaviors? - What side benefits does text4baby confer on other programs such as referral to helplines and other health services? - What effects does text4baby have on postpartum maternal and child health outcomes?

We present initial pilot study results and describe plans for long-term program evaluation over a 3 year period.

Learning Areas:
Communication and informatics
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Provision of health care to the public
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe mobile health and the text4baby program 2. Assess methods for mobile health program evaluation 3. Explain results of the text4baby pilot evaluation 4. Identify opportunities to apply mobile health to other public health topics

Keywords: Maternal Health, Social Marketing

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I designed and conducted the research reported in this abstract.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 3148.0: Social media, new media, and health behavior