Recruitment and retention in an SMS-based health education program: Lessons learned from Text2BHealthy

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.
Source: Health Informatics Journal - Category: Information Technology Authors: Tags: Articles Source Type: research