Effect of Receiving Text Messages on Health Care Behavior and State Anxiety of Thai Pregnant Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Piyanut Xuto, Kodama Toyohiko, Piyaporn Prasitwattanaseree and 1 others
PMID 35005038WHAT IT FOUND
Text messages did not improve overall antenatal health behavior, but women who received them reported lower overall anxiety and more physical activity than usual care only.
Key findings
01Total state anxiety was lower in the text message group (35.23) than in the control group (40.79).
02The total health care behavior score did not show a significant difference (121.86 vs 120.20).
03The physical activity domain score was higher in the text message group (15.40) than in the control group (13.58).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study was small: 66 women were randomized and 59 completed, with 30 in the intervention group and 29 in the control group. Participants were low-risk primigravidae with singleton pregnancies, aged 18 to 40, at 12±1 weeks of gestation, and able to use a smartphone, so results may not apply to higher-risk pregnancies, later enrolment, or people without smartphones. Only clinicians were blinded, not participants, and the outcomes were self-reported anxiety and behavior scores. The messages were information-based, one-way, and not theory-based, so they may not build the skills needed for broader behavior change. The study covered many message topics and did not target one specific outcome, which may reduce the effect of the intervention.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that text messages are an effective stand-alone program for improving overall antenatal health behavior. The total health behavior score was not significantly different, and the authors state the messages provided information rather than skill building.