Health Behaviour Change: Exercising on a regular basis

Mass Media Campaign: Text messaging

Population of interest: College Students

     Due to the growing society on technology and mass media campaigns, college students seem to be relying on electronic devices, such as cell phones. Researches in the past decade have been focusing on the usefulness of health behaviour change interventions delivered by means of text messaging. With cell phone use already being a part of our everyday lives, several studies have indicated success in regards to behaviour modification and disease self-management via text notifications (Krishna, Voren, Balas 2009). For the study conducted by Gerber et al. 2009, participants suggested that text messaging potential provide valuable reminders to exercise. The results of this study indicated that automated text messaging did in fact help promote physical activity on a frequent basis. Prestwich, Perugini, Hurling (2010), found that text messages pertaining to brisk walking plans or reasons for brisk walking significantly increased the number of days that a participant reported doing physical activity in comparison to a control group that did not constantly receive text messaging reminders.

Our very intriguing recommendations to THE BOSS: Since college students are glued to their cell phones anyway, why not send text messaging notifications every day as a reminder to indulge in an active lifestyle. Text messaging is a great mean of communication among students, since it is cheap and easily accessible. Students always jump to the vibration or loud noises their phones make every time they receive a text, so by sending notifications via texting it will encourage them to take part in the activities. These notifications will include exercises of the day, or a reminder of a specific activity that is occurring on campus during the day. Such sample messages will include: " did you go to the gym today? Go take a brisk walk, it’s nice outside! I bet you can’t swim 40 laps! Spin class at 5:30, SEE YOU THERE! Health Class has vball tonight, its COED ;)!!!!!! " and the list goes on.

RESOURCES

Healthcare via Cell Phones: A Systematic Review ---Healthcare Via Cellphones.pdf
Santosh Krishna, Ph.D., Ed.S, Suzanne Austin Boren. Ph.D., M.H.A., and E. Andrews Balas, M.D., Ph.d. 

Mobile phone text messaging to promote healthy behaviors and weight loss maintenance: a feasibility study---Mobile Phone text messaging to support healthy behaviours.pdf

Ben S. Gerber, Melinda R. Stolley, Allison L. Thompson, Lisa K. Sharp and Marian L. Fitzgibbon

Can Implementation Intentions and Text Messages Promote Brisk Walking? A Randomized Trial---Texting and Brisk Walking.pdf

Andrew Prestwich University of Leeds, Marco Perugini University of Milan-Bicocca, Robert Hurling Unilever Research