Development of Participant-Informed Text Messages to Promote Physical Activity Among African American Women Attending College: A Qualitative Mixed-Methods Inquiry.
Jasmine M Reese, Rodney P Joseph, Andrea Cherrington and 6 others
PMID 27093904WHAT IT FOUND
Young adult African American women wanted physical activity text messages three to five times a week, late morning or midafternoon, short, focused, from a known sender, and with limited humor.
The study did not test whether the messages increased activity.
Key findings
01Participants preferred three to five text messages per week, no more than one per day, sent late morning or midafternoon.
02Participants preferred messages that identified the sender with a signature and had a specific focus, such as weekly challenges, healthy eating tips, or inspirational quotes, if sent judiciously.
03Participants preferred short, succinct messages; messages longer than two sentences or split into two texts were less likely to be read, and they rejected emoticons, slang, or acronyms such as LOL.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was small (14 women), a convenience sample from one university, and all were young adult African American college students with overweight or obesity, so preferences may not apply to other women. Not all participants attended every focus group; the second and third groups had 13 and 4 participants, respectively. The study did not assess whether the text messages influenced physical activity outcomes. Findings may not generalize to African American women not enrolled in a university, not overweight or obese, or to other minority groups. Focus group feedback may have been influenced by more vocal participants.
Declared interests
The supplied publication types indicate N.I.H. extramural and non-U.S. government research support. No author conflict-of-interest or funding declaration is included in the supplied article text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that these text messages increase physical activity. The study was a qualitative development and pilot work with 14 young adult African American college women, and it did not assess physical activity outcomes.