Using Text Message Surveys to Evaluate a Mobile Sexual Health Question-and-Answer Service

Text message programs for sexual health are becoming increasingly popular as practitioners aim to meet youth on media they use frequently. Two-way mobile health (mHealth) interventions allow for feedback solicitation from participants. This study explores the use of a text message survey to assess demographics and program feedback from users of an adolescent sexual health text message question-and-answer service. Development and feasibility of the short-message service survey are discussed. The text message survey achieved a 43.9% response rate, which is comparable to response rates of surveys conducted via other methods. When compared to respondents who used the service and completed an online in-school questionnaire, text survey respondents were more likely to be female and older. They also reported higher service satisfaction. Results have implications for text message service providers and researchers. This article examines a community application of a new intervention strategy and research methodology.

Download Full-text

Everyone Has Questions

Social Marketing Quarterly ◽

10.1177/1524500413505570 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 19 (4) ◽

pp. 265-278 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Jessica Fitts Willoughby

Keyword(s):

Sexual Health ◽

Text Message ◽

Health Educator ◽

Sexual Health Information ◽

Social Marketing Campaign ◽

Message Service ◽

Production Research ◽

Promotional Messages ◽

Depth Interviews ◽

Health Question

Text message services that provide sexual health information are increasingly popular, but often they are not promoted. This article describes the development of a social marketing campaign promoting a state-based sexual health text message service that allows teens to text a sexual health question directly to a trained health educator. Preproduction and production research using in-depth interviews and focus groups ( n = 35) conducted in the southeastern United States provided information on perceived benefits and barriers and teens’ perceptions. Teens were interested in the service and wanted to see relevant settings and relatable teens in advertisements. Teens said that the promotional messages needed to include clear instructions on how to use such a service, as teens were only somewhat familiar with the process of using such a system. Implications for promotion of similar services are discussed.

Download Full-text

SMS for sexual health: A comparison of service types and recommendations for sexual health text message service providers

Health Education Journal ◽

10.1177/0017896916661373 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 76 (2) ◽

pp. 231-243 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Jessica Fitts Willoughby ◽

Adrienne Muldrow

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

Young People ◽

Sexual Health ◽

Focus Groups ◽

Health Information ◽

Pacific Northwest ◽

Service Providers ◽

Text Message ◽

Sexual Health Information ◽

Message Service

Objectives: Text message–based interventions may provide sexual health information to young people through a number of service types, from sending information on a regularly scheduled timeline, to providing an automated menu, to allowing young people to connect directly with health educators. While such service types exist, it is not clear which features young adults feel are most effective at allowing them to engage with sexual health information. Design: This study used a mixed-methods design (survey and focus groups) to assess perceptions of three types of sexual health text message services with young adults, a population particularly at risk of negative sexual health outcomes. Setting: College students from the US Pacific Northwest participated in the project. Method: Participants heard about three sexual health text message services, completed questionnaires and discussed each type. Focus groups were gender-separated. Results: Participants reported that services that allowed them to connect with a health educator would be highly useful, but automated services would be beneficial in bringing new topics to their attention. Participants perceived the purpose of the service types as different and felt each could be a useful resource, depending on the situation. Regardless of service type, participants wanted to personalise their experience. Participants wanted messages tailored to them and options to interact with the systems, from influencing topic selection to message timing. Conclusion: Each of the service types can be useful for young adults. Young adults perceive services that provide the opportunity to tailor information and interact with the system as beneficial.

Download Full-text

The Feasibility of a Using a Smart Button Mobile Health System to Self-Track Medication Adherence and Deliver Tailored Short Message Service Text Message Feedback

JMIR Formative Research ◽

10.2196/13558 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. e13558

Author(s):

Rebecca J Bartlett Ellis ◽

James H Hill ◽

K Denise Kerley ◽

Arjun Sinha ◽

Aaron Ganci ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medication Adherence ◽

Health System ◽

Mobile Health ◽

Short Message Service ◽

Text Message ◽

Short Message ◽

Message Service

Download Full-text

The Grammar of Mobile Phone Written Language

Computer-Mediated Communication for Linguistics and Literacy ◽

10.4018/978-1-60566-868-0.ch007 ◽

2010 ◽

pp. 110-198

Author(s):

Adams B. Bodomo

Keyword(s):

Mobile Phone ◽

English Language ◽

Service Providers ◽

Written Language ◽

Communication Process ◽

Short Message ◽

Voice Communication ◽

Communicative Practice ◽

Message Service

In the last chapter, I concentrated mainly on mobile phone voice communication. In this chapter, I will focus on mobile phone text communication. Mobile phone texting or communication through short message service (SMS) started slowly, as we saw in chapter 6, but has quickly emerged as a frequent daily linguistic, literacy or general communicative practice in which two or more people exchange messages by coding and decoding texts received and sent from their cell phones. Mobile phone texting is almost now as pervasive and as ubiquitous as mobile phone voice communication, if not more among some segments of users like young people. This communication process can be witnessed in buses, at homes, in offices, in restaurants, out in the woods, on the high seas, and even in the air! Hong Kong’s main English language newspaper, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) edition of April 11, 2004 indicates that as huge a volume of 200 million SMS messages are exchanged monthly. SMS has become a multi-million dollar business for service providers.

Download Full-text

Influence of perceived interactivity of a sexual health text message service on young people's attitudes, satisfaction and repeat use

Health Education Research ◽

10.1093/her/cyv056 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 30 (6) ◽

pp. 996-1003 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

J. F. Willoughby ◽

K. L. L'Engle

Keyword(s):

Sexual Health ◽

Text Message ◽

Perceived Interactivity ◽

Message Service ◽

People’S Attitudes

Download Full-text

Short Message Service (SMS) and its Applications

Mobile Commerce Applications ◽

10.4018/978-1-59140-182-7.ch009 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 179-202

Author(s):

Maizatul A. Ismail ◽

Rafidah Md-Noor ◽

Mazliza Othman

Keyword(s):

Short Message Service ◽

Service Providers ◽

Text Messages ◽

Short Message ◽

Future Trends ◽

Mobile Banking ◽

The Past ◽

Technology Advancement ◽

Message Service

The use of short message service (SMS) has grown tremendously in the past few years. Billions of users use this service to send text messages. Various applications have been introduced by service providers, e.g., mobile banking, summons checkpoint, SMS chat, etc., all of which have become a huge success. This chapter gives an overview of how this service is provided and discusses various SMS applications offered to the user. We explore the reasons behind its success and the issues that must be addressed to provide these applications. We also examine future trends and the challenges that must be overcome in order to enhance this service. We hope that this chapter gives a better understanding of how SMS applications are provided and what may be expected in future applications given the enhancement on the current SMS and technology advancement.

Download Full-text

Attending to the Mobile Text Summons: Managing Multiple Communicative Activities Across Physically Copresent and Technologically Mediated Interpersonal Interactions

Communication Research ◽

10.1177/0093650218803537 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 47 (5) ◽

pp. 669-700

Author(s):

Stephen M. DiDomenico ◽

Joshua Raclaw ◽

Jessica S. Robles

Keyword(s):

Mobile Phone ◽

Interpersonal Communication ◽

Technology Use ◽

Text Message ◽

Short Message ◽

Mobile Phone Use ◽

Video Recordings ◽

Message Service ◽

Communication Practices

This article presents a qualitative investigation of communication practices interactants use to manage mobile phone activity while they are engaged in a copresent conversation. Drawing from conversation analysis and a collection of naturalistic video recordings, our study of mobile phone use in situ focuses on how participants orient to the mobile text summons, the audible chimes or vibrations that indicate the receipt of a text message (or short message service [SMS]). In these moments, interactants must simultaneously manage attending to their phone and the copresent conversation. Our analysis shows how people may use nonverbal and verbal techniques to attend to their mobile phone based on their identity respective to the copresent activity. The study contributes to scholarly understandings of technology use, multitasking, and the management of attention in interpersonal communication.

Download Full-text

Clients’ preferred methods of obtaining sexually transmissable infection or HIV results from Sydney Sexual Health Centre

Sexual Health ◽

10.1071/sh12062 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 91 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Lynne Martin ◽

Vickie Knight ◽

Phillip J. Read ◽

Anna McNulty

Keyword(s):

Sexual Health ◽

Text Messaging ◽

Health Centre ◽

Text Messages ◽

Phone Call ◽

Short Message ◽

Test Results ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Message Service

Given the documented benefits of using text messaging (short message service; SMS), the internet and email to deliver sexually transmissible infection (STI) test results, including high acceptability among clients, Sydney Sexual Health Centre (SSHC) aimed to identify which methods our clients preferred for receiving their results, using a cross-sectional survey. There was a preference for SMS (32%) for negative STI results, and for SMS (27%), phone call (27%) and in-person (26%) for negative HIV results. An in-person preference was shown for receiving positive STI results (40%) and positive HIV results (56%, P < 0.001). While many clients would prefer to receive STI test results via text messages or phone call, many also still prefer a return visit, with this preference is dependent on the type and nature of the results. Our study suggests that, ideally, several options for obtaining results should be available.

Download Full-text