Related Experiment Videos
Acceptability of a text message-based intervention for obesity prevention in infants from Hawai'i and Puerto Rico WIC
Cheryl L K Gibby1, Cristina Palacios2, Maribel Campos3
1Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Agricultural Sciences 216, 1955 East-West Rd, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA.
Insights
This study found a text message intervention was acceptable for preventing infant obesity in low-income minority populations. High retention and satisfaction suggest mobile health is a viable approach for childhood obesity prevention.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Mobile Health (mHealth)
- Childhood Obesity Prevention
Background:
- Low-income and minority children face higher risks of obesity.
- Text messaging is a promising tool for health education, but its acceptability in infant obesity prevention interventions is understudied.
- This research focused on the acceptability of a text message-based intervention for preventing excessive infant weight gain.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the acceptability of a text message-based intervention for preventing excessive infant weight gain.
- To assess participant retention, satisfaction, and reported behavior changes.
- To inform the development of mobile health programs for minority childhood obesity prevention.
Main Methods:
- A four-month randomized controlled trial involving mothers with infants aged 0-2 months.
- Participants received weekly text messages promoting breastfeeding and appropriate complementary feeding.
- Acceptability was assessed through quantitative text-based surveys and qualitative exit interviews, with 80 mother-infant pairs in the intervention arm.
Main Results:
- The majority of participants reported liking all text messages and found them useful.
- Most participants indicated the messages prompted changes in infant feeding practices.
- Participant retention was high at 78.4%.
Conclusions:
- The text message intervention demonstrated acceptability among participants, evidenced by strong retention, satisfaction, and reported behavior changes.
- Findings support the use of mobile health strategies for childhood obesity prevention in diverse, underserved populations.
- This study provides a foundation for future mHealth program development targeting infant obesity.
Background:
Low-income and minority children are at increased risk for obesity. Text messaging offers advantages for delivering education, but few studies have assessed the acceptability of text messaging in interventions aimed at preventing excessive weight gain in infants. This study investigated the acceptability of a text message-based intervention for prevention of excessive weight gain in infants from Hawai'i and Puerto Rico WIC clinics.
Methods:
The four-month text message based intervention designed to improve infant feeding practices and reduce excessive weight gain was a randomized controlled trial that included mothers with infants ages 0-2 months at baseline. Participants in the intervention arm received 18 text messages (1/week) promoting breastfeeding and appropriate complementary feeding. Acceptability of the intervention was assessed from participant retention, satisfaction, and evidence of behavior change in a sequential multimethod approach, quantitatively from questions sent via text and qualitatively during the in-person exit interview. The final analysis included 80 mother-infant pairs from the intervention arm.
Results:
When asked about messages liked and disliked the most, the majority of responses via text indicated that they liked all messages. From the qualitative analyses, most participants reported that all messages were useful and that the messages led them to make changes in the way they fed their infants. Participant retention was good at 78.4%.
Conclusions:
The intervention was acceptable to participants based upon participant retention, measures of satisfaction, and reports of behavior change. Results may inform development of mobile health programs for minority childhood obesity prevention.
Trial Registration:
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier; NCT02903186; September 16, 2016.