Public Health Commons^™

Developing And Pretesting A Text Messaging Program For Health Behavior Change, Lorien C. Abroms, Robyn Whittaker, Caroline Free, Judith Mendel Van Alstyne, Jennifer M. Schindler-Ruwisch

Prevention and Community Health Faculty Publications

Background: A growing body of evidence demonstrates that text messaging-based programs (short message service [SMS]) on mobile phones can help people modify health behaviors. Most of these programs have consisted of automated and sometimes interactive text messages that guide a person through the process of behavior change.

Objective: This paper provides guidance on how to develop text messaging programs aimed at changing health behaviors.

Methods: Based on their collective experience in designing, developing, and evaluating text messaging programs and a review of the literature, the authors drafted the guide. One author initially drafted the guide and the others provided input …

Factors Associated With Early Growth In Egyptian Infants: Implications For Addressing The Dual Burden Of Malnutrition., Justine A Kavle, Valerie L Flax, Ali Abdelmegeid, Farouk Salah, Seham Hafez, Magda Ramzy, Doaa Hamed, Gulsen Saleh, Rae Galloway

Prevention and Community Health Faculty Publications

Optimal nutrition is critical to the attainment of healthy growth, human capital and sustainable development. In Egypt, infants and young children face overlapping forms of malnutrition, including micronutrient deficiencies, stunting and overweight. Yet, in this setting, little is known about the factors associated with growth during the first year of life. A rise in stunting in Lower Egypt from 2005 to 2008 prompted this implementation research study, which followed a longitudinal cohort of infants from birth to 1 year of age within the context of a USAID-funded maternal and child health integrated programme. We sought to determine if growth patterns …

Impact Evaluation Of A Policy Intervention For Hiv Prevention In Washington, Dc, Monica S. Ruiz, Allison O'Rourke, Sean T. Allen

Prevention and Community Health Faculty Publications

Syringe exchange programs (SEPs) lower HIV risk. From 1998 to 2007, Congress prohibited Washington, DC, from using municipal revenue for SEPs. We examined the impact of policy change on IDU-associated HIV cases. We used surveillance data for new IDU-associated HIV cases between September 1996 and December 2011 to build an ARIMA model and forecasted the expected number of IDU-associated cases in the 24 months following policy change. Interrupted time series analyses (ITSA) were used to assess epidemic impact of policy change. There were 176 IDU-associated HIV cases in the 2 years post-policy change; our model predicted 296 IDU-associated HIV cases …

How Far Will They Go?: Assessing The Travel Distance Of Current And Former Drug Users To Access Harm Reduction Services, Sean Allen, Monica S. Ruiz, Allison O'Rourke

Prevention and Community Health Faculty Publications

Background

Prior research has explored spatial access to syringe exchange programs (SEPs) among people who inject drugs (PWID), but little is known about service utilization by former PWID who continue to access services (e.g., HIV screenings and referrals for social services) at harm reduction providers. The purpose of this research is to examine differences in access to SEPs between current and former PWID seeking services at a mobile SEP in Washington, DC.

Findings

A geometric point distance estimation technique was applied to data collected as part of a PWID population estimation study that took place in Washington, DC, in March …

Quit4baby: Results From A Pilot Test Of A Mobile Smoking Cessation Program For Pregnant Women, Lorien C. Abroms, Pamela R. Johnson, Christina L. Heminger, Judith M. Van Alstyne, Leah E. Leavitt, Jennifer M. Schindler-Ruwisch, Jessica A. Bushar

Prevention and Community Health Faculty Publications

Background: Text messaging (short message service, SMS) programs have been shown to be effective in helping adult smokers quit smoking. This study describes the results of a pilot test of Quit4baby, a smoking cessation text messaging program for pregnant smokers that was adapted from Text2quit.

Objective: The study aimed to demonstrate the feasibility and acceptability of Quit4baby for women currently enrolled in Text4baby, a perinatal health text messaging program.

Methods: Pregnant women enrolled in Text4baby and who were current smokers or had quit within the last 4 weeks (n=20) were enrolled in Quit4baby. Those under the age of 18, not …

The Evidence Does Not Speak For Itself: The Role Of Research Evidence In Shaping Policy Change For The Implementation Of Publicly Funded Syringe Exchange Programs In Three Us Cities, Sean T. Allen, Monica S. Ruiz, Allison O'Rourke

Prevention and Community Health Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND:

A breadth of literature exists that explores the utilization of research evidence in policy change processes. From this work, a number of studies suggest research evidence is applied to change processes by policy change stakeholders primarily through instrumental, conceptual, and/or symbolic applications, or is not used at all. Despite the expansiveness of research on policy change processes, a deficit exists in understanding the role of research evidence during change processes related to the implementation of structural interventions for HIV prevention among injection drug users (IDU). This study examined the role of research evidence in policy change processes for the …

Interpersonal Communication As An Agent Of Normative Influence: A Mixed Method Study Among The Urban Poor In India, Rajiv N. Rimal, Pooja Sripad, Ilene S. Speizer, Lisa M. Calhoun

Prevention and Community Health Faculty Publications

Background

Although social norms are thought to play an important role in couples’ reproductive decisions, only limited theoretical or empirical guidance exists on how the underlying process works. Using the theory of normative social behavior (TNSB), through a mixed-method design, we investigated the role played by injunctive norms and interpersonal discussion in the relationship between descriptive norms and use of modern contraceptive methods among the urban poor in India.

Methods

Data from a household survey (N = 11,811) were used to test the underlying theoretical propositions, and focus group interviews among men and women were then conducted to obtain …

Assessing Seasonality Of Travel Distance To Harm Reduction Service Providers Among Persons Who Inject Drugs., Sean T. Allen, Monica S. Ruiz, Amira Roess, Jeff Jones

Prevention and Community Health Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Prior research has examined access to syringe exchange program (SEP) services among persons who inject drugs (PWID), but no research has been conducted to evaluate variations in SEP access based on season. This is an important gap in the literature given that seasonal weather patterns and inclement weather may affect SEP service utilization. The purpose of this research is to examine differences in access to SEPs by season among PWID in the District of Columbia (DC).

FINDINGS: A geometric point distance estimation technique was applied to records from a DC SEP that operated from 1996 to 2011. We calculated …

Cost Effectiveness Of A Mail-Delivered Individually Tailored Physical Activity Intervention For Latinas Vs. A Mailed Contact Control, Britta Larsen, Todd Gilmer, Dori Pekmezi, Melissa A. Napolitano, Bess H. Marcus

Prevention and Community Health Faculty Publications

Background

Physical inactivity is high in Latinas, as are chronic health conditions. There is a need for physical activity (PA) interventions that are not only effective but have potential for cost-effective widespread dissemination. The purpose of this paper was to assess the costs and cost effectiveness of a Spanish-language print-based mail-delivered PA intervention that was linguistically and culturally adapted for Latinas.

Methods

Adult Latinas (N = 266) were randomly assigned to receive mail-delivered individually tailored intervention materials or wellness information mailed on the same schedule (control). PA was assessed at baseline, six months (post-intervention) and 12 months (maintenance phase) …

Dose-Response Effects Of The Text4baby Mobile Health Program: Randomized Controlled Trial, William Douglas Evans, Peter E. Nielsen, Daniel R. Szekely, Jasmine W. Bihm, Elizabeth A. Murray, Jeremy Snider, Lorien C. Abroms

Prevention and Community Health Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND:

Mobile health (mHealth) is growing rapidly, but more studies are needed on how to optimize programs, including optimal timing of messaging, dose of exposure, and value of interactive features. This study evaluates final outcomes of text4baby (a text message service for pregnant and postpartum women) from a randomized trial performed in a population of pregnant female soldiers and family members.

OBJECTIVE:

The study aims were to evaluate (1) treatment effects and (2) dose-response effects of text4baby on behavioral outcomes compared to control (no text4baby) condition.

METHODS:

The study was a randomized trial of text4baby at Madigan Army Medical Center. …