Patients with coronary heart disease who received text messages with lifestyle-focused messages and support led to greater improvement in health and reduced other cardiovascular disease risk factors, according to a study in The Journal of the American Medical Association.
Researchers sent semipersonalized lifestyle-focused text messages to patients in the Tobacco, Exercise and Diet Messages trial to determine the effect such a support program has on patient outcomes.
Patients in the intervention group received four text messages a week for six months in addition to usual care. The messages provided advice, reminders and support to help these patients change lifestyle behaviors.
After six months, researchers noted patients receiving the text messages reported reductions in systolic blood pressure and body mass index, as well as an increase in physical activity and a reduction in smoking.
"Among patients with coronary heart disease, the use of a lifestyle-focused text messaging service compared with usual care resulted in a modest improvement in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level and greater improvement in other cardiovascular disease risk factors," the researchers concluded, adding, though, the duration of these effects continue on.
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