A Self-management SMS Text Messaging Intervention for People With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Feasibility and...

Area of Science:

• Digital health interventions
• Mobile health (mHealth)
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) management

Background:

• Mobile health technologies offer a promising avenue for delivering self-management support to individuals with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).
• Effective digital tools are needed to enhance disease self-management and patient engagement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and engagement of a novel SMS text messaging intervention, Text4IBD, for IBD self-management.
• To preliminarily assess the impact of the Text4IBD intervention on self-reported health outcomes, including distress, self-efficacy, and coping strategies.

Main Methods:

• A 2-week, single-group, pretest-posttest study involving 114 participants with IBD.
• Participants received daily SMS messages with self-management resources via the Text4IBD program.
• Feasibility and engagement were assessed through message topic recall and use of external resources; health outcomes were measured using validated questionnaires.

Main Results:

• The Text4IBD intervention was highly feasible and acceptable, with 98.1% of participants recalling message topics and 79% engaging with external resources.
• Significant reductions in IBD-related distress were observed (P<.001).
• Improvements were noted in most other secondary outcomes, including self-efficacy and coping strategies.

Conclusions:

• SMS text messaging, as demonstrated by Text4IBD, is a valuable digital medium for supporting individuals with IBD, particularly in managing disease-related distress.
• The Text4IBD program shows potential for improving self-management among people with IBD.
• Further evaluation in randomized controlled trials within clinical settings is warranted.