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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2023 Jan-Feb;23(1):123-129.
doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2022.05.004. Epub 2022 May 13.

Text2Breathe: Text-Message Intervention for Parent Communication and Pediatric Asthma

Tumaini R Coker  1 , Stephanie J Mitchell  2 , Sarah J Lowry  3 , Eileen J Klein  4 , James W Stout  5 , Julie C Brown  4 , Kendra S Liljenquist  6 , Elizabeth Wingfield  3 , Ivor B Horn  3
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Text2Breathe: Text-Message Intervention for Parent Communication and Pediatric Asthma

Tumaini R Coker et al. Acad Pediatr. 2023 Jan-Feb.

Abstract

Objective: Mobile health technology offers promise for reducing disparities in pediatric asthma care and outcomes by helping parents more effectively communicate with their children's primary care providers and manage their children's asthma. This study tested the impact of a text messaging program on emergency department utilization and asthma morbidity.

Methods: A randomized controlled trial enrolled 221 parents of Medicaid-insured children visiting the emergency departments of 2 urban children's hospitals in the Pacific Northwest for an asthma-related concern between September 2015 and February 2019. Standardized surveys were administered to parents at baseline and 12 months later to assess the primary outcomes of emergency department utilization and morbidity as well as primary care utilization, parent communication self-efficacy, and asthma self-management knowledge. The intervention group received brief in-person education on partnering with primary care providers, followed by 3 months of educational text messages.

Results: Participants were mostly female, English speakers, of minority race and ethnicity, and living below 200% of the federal poverty level. Negative binomial and linear regressions indicated no significant group differences in annual number of emergency department visits, morbidity, parent communication self-efficacy, or asthma self-management knowledge at 12 months' follow-up, adjusting for baseline covariates. Average annual rate of primary care visits for asthma was 35% higher in the intervention group compared to control group at follow-up (95% confidence interval 1.03-1.76, P = .03).

Conclusions: This parent-focused text message intervention did not impact emergency department utilization or asthma morbidity; however, results suggest its potential for enhancing use of primary care for management of pediatric chronic conditions.

Keywords: communication; parent; pediatric asthma; text messaging.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest related to this article to disclose.

Figures

Figure.
Figure.
Text2Breathe CONSORT flow diagram.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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