Motivational text message could slash number of heart attacks and strokes
A simple motivational text message could prevent Australians from heart attack or stroke, as new research shows the reminder could reduce multiple risk factors behind the country’s leading killer.
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Motivational text messages and reminders to take your tablets, could be the missing piece in co-ordinated efforts to slash the number of Australians having a heart attack or stroke.
New research led by Deakin University and University of Sydney has found that simple SMS interventions show strong potential to reduce the multiple risk factors behind Australia’s leading killer – heart disease.
The researchers evaluated the combined effect of nine text message interventions involving 3700 people, to test their impact on reducing disease risk, blood pressure and weight.
When participants were followed six months after the trial, there was an average .2 reduction in their Body Mass Index and 1.3mm reduction in blood pressure.
One of the studies, which looked at the bang-for-buck of a program sending 50,000 Australians with heart disease text messages, found it would lead to 563 fewer heart attacks, 361 fewer strokes and save the health system $10.5 million over their lifetime.
The findings are published in the journal Open Heart.
Lead researcher from Deakin’s Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Dr Shariful Islam said with one in six Australians affected by cardiovascular disease, using mobile technology to reduce disease risk was proving an effective and cheap value-add to in-person support.
“It’s a modest reduction at a personal level, but at it on the larger level it’s a promising result,” Dr Islam said.
Professor Ralph Maddison, also from IPAN, said the study showed it was worth persevering with rolling out mobile health – or mHealth – initiatives to target heart disease.
“With cardiovascular disease you have to take medication and make lifestyle changes such as stopping smoking, exercise and try to lose weight,” Prof Maddison said.
“Once someone has been discharged from hospital, there is not a huge amount of support for them, but these mobile interventions have the potential to augment that.”
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Professor Julie Redfern, from the University of Sydney’s Westmead Applied Research Centre, said these findings supported her previous research that showed patients liked text message support, it cost $10-15 to support someone for six months, and four to five messages a week were enough to keep them engaged.
Her team is now researching whether this system could help patients with other chronic illnesses such as breast cancer, diabetes and respiratory diseases.
“It can be difficult to have face-to-face conversations about BMI or smoking. But via text message people may feel more open and willing to take things on board,” Prof Redfern said.
“We’re confident we’re on a recipe for success.”