Blood pressure, cholesterol levels can be improved by text messages: study

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Technology, especially smart phones, have changed people's lives and have made a lot of things more convenient, from shopping to communicating. With this data-driven world, it is no longer surprising to find various industries utilizing technology to improve processes. According to Reuters, a recent study has shown that texting patients regular health reminders helps them make better lifestyle choices that decrease their risk for heart attacks and strokes.

The study was conducted by Dr. Clara Chow, program director of community-based cardiac services at Westmead Hospital and a cardiology researcher at the George Institute for Global Health and the University of Sydney in Australia. Chow and her team sent out 4 text messages per week to 350 heart disease patients to encourage healthier habits and and supplement their regular care. They also studied another 350 patients, but did not send any text messages. Six months later, researchers found that those who were sent text messages were generally more successful in decreasing their weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, and tobacco use, versus their counterparts who did not receive any messages.

NPR reports that Chow admitted, "I have to say, we were pretty surprised that it worked. The benefits to exercising, quitting smoking, and lowering (weight) after six months of text message reminders are substantial."

She also said: "As clinicians, we want to address multiple risk factors in our patients who have had a heart attack. If these risk factors were reduced over the long term we would expect them to reduce the risk of repeat heart attacks."

Chow admitted that there is already a buzz about mobile health interventions, saying, "Everyone thinks it has a lot of potential, but there's actually very little evidence."

NPR further reports that there are over 100,000 health-related apps in the market to date, however, there isn't much studies on their effectiveness. According to Zubin Eapen, a cardiologist and assistant professor of medicine at Duke University School of Medicine, "We [as physicians] are always looking for evidence to make sure that we are recommending the right things for our patients, whether it's a drug, a device or a digital product, like an app."

This study, however, has done exactly that—provide evidence on how mobile health interventions may actually be effective. Chow said, "I like to look for things that are able to be used in multiple corners of our world, from low-income settings to high-income settings. Everybody owns a mobile phone these days. You don't have to have a smartphone to text."

Eapen also added, "If we are going to reach a global population, we need solutions that are both scalable and affordable, and mobile health—and text messaging, maybe, in particular—represents both a scalable and affordable approach."

Researchers also said that 90 percent of participants found the program useful and a number of them even replied to the messages, expressing their gratitude for the support. Chow said, "People said things like, 'It wasn't actually what the messages said, it was that someone was there supporting me, thinking about me.'"