SMS is My BFF: Positive Impact of a Texting Intervention with Low-Income Children with Asthma

Asthma disproportionately impacts the lives of children from low-income families. We conducted a three-month SMS intervention study with low-income children in a specialty pulmonology clinic. We found that participants that received either daily text messages or text messages on alternate days had improved lung function compared to a control group that received no messages. Moreover, children in the intervention groups reported being more emotionally connected to their pulmonologist after participating in the study. Qualitative analyses shed light on how the intervention impacted the participants. Children reported that it altered their medication management and enhanced their point of care interactions. Parent interview data indicated that the SMS messages led to increased child-driven communication about asthma. A comparative analysis of the present study with an earlier study showed greater benefits from the SMS intervention for the low- vs. middle- income cohorts. We discuss these findings in terms of how income status affects technology utilization and health outcomes. We also discuss implications for design of future studies that target pediatric patients in general and low-income patients in particular.