Text4baby

Development and Implementation of a National Text Messaging Health Information Service

Bibliographic Data

ID11024591
AuthorsRobyn Whittaker (0000-0003-0901-9149, At the time of the study, Robyn Whittaker was with The Commonwealth Fund, New York, NY. Sabrina Matoff-Stepp was with the Office of Women’s Health, Julie Baitty was with the Office of Information Technology, and Kyu Rhee was with the Immediate Office of the Administrator, Health Resources and Services Administration, Rockville, MD. Judy Meehan was with the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition, Alexandria, VA. Juliette Kendrick and Paul Stange were with the Centers for Disease Control and...), Sabrina Matoff-Stepp (At the time of the study, Robyn Whittaker was with The Commonwealth Fund, New York, NY. Sabrina Matoff-Stepp was with the Office of Women’s Health, Julie Baitty was with the Office of Information Technology, and Kyu Rhee was with the Immediate Office of the Administrator, Health Resources and Services Administration, Rockville, MD. Judy Meehan was with the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition, Alexandria, VA. Juliette Kendrick and Paul Stange were with the Centers for Disease Control and...), Judy Meehan (At the time of the study, Robyn Whittaker was with The Commonwealth Fund, New York, NY. Sabrina Matoff-Stepp was with the Office of Women’s Health, Julie Baitty was with the Office of Information Technology, and Kyu Rhee was with the Immediate Office of the Administrator, Health Resources and Services Administration, Rockville, MD. Judy Meehan was with the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition, Alexandria, VA. Juliette Kendrick and Paul Stange were with the Centers for Disease Control and...), Juliette Kendrick (At the time of the study, Robyn Whittaker was with The Commonwealth Fund, New York, NY. Sabrina Matoff-Stepp was with the Office of Women’s Health, Julie Baitty was with the Office of Information Technology, and Kyu Rhee was with the Immediate Office of the Administrator, Health Resources and Services Administration, Rockville, MD. Judy Meehan was with the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition, Alexandria, VA. Juliette Kendrick and Paul Stange were with the Centers for Disease Control and...), Juliette S Kendrick (Healthy Start), Elizabeth Jordan (0000-0002-1624-9973, At the time of the study, Robyn Whittaker was with The Commonwealth Fund, New York, NY. Sabrina Matoff-Stepp was with the Office of Women’s Health, Julie Baitty was with the Office of Information Technology, and Kyu Rhee was with the Immediate Office of the Administrator, Health Resources and Services Administration, Rockville, MD. Judy Meehan was with the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition, Alexandria, VA. Juliette Kendrick and Paul Stange were with the Centers for Disease Control and...), Paul Stange (0000-0001-9262-1661, At the time of the study, Robyn Whittaker was with The Commonwealth Fund, New York, NY. Sabrina Matoff-Stepp was with the Office of Women’s Health, Julie Baitty was with the Office of Information Technology, and Kyu Rhee was with the Immediate Office of the Administrator, Health Resources and Services Administration, Rockville, MD. Judy Meehan was with the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition, Alexandria, VA. Juliette Kendrick and Paul Stange were with the Centers for Disease Control and...), Paul V Stange (Healthy Start), Amanda Cash (At the time of the study, Robyn Whittaker was with The Commonwealth Fund, New York, NY. Sabrina Matoff-Stepp was with the Office of Women’s Health, Julie Baitty was with the Office of Information Technology, and Kyu Rhee was with the Immediate Office of the Administrator, Health Resources and Services Administration, Rockville, MD. Judy Meehan was with the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition, Alexandria, VA. Juliette Kendrick and Paul Stange were with the Centers for Disease Control and...), Patti Meyer (0000-0002-9199-165X, At the time of the study, Robyn Whittaker was with The Commonwealth Fund, New York, NY. Sabrina Matoff-Stepp was with the Office of Women’s Health, Julie Baitty was with the Office of Information Technology, and Kyu Rhee was with the Immediate Office of the Administrator, Health Resources and Services Administration, Rockville, MD. Judy Meehan was with the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition, Alexandria, VA. Juliette Kendrick and Paul Stange were with the Centers for Disease Control and...), Paul Meyer (0000-0001-5665-2292), Julie Baitty (At the time of the study, Robyn Whittaker was with The Commonwealth Fund, New York, NY. Sabrina Matoff-Stepp was with the Office of Women’s Health, Julie Baitty was with the Office of Information Technology, and Kyu Rhee was with the Immediate Office of the Administrator, Health Resources and Services Administration, Rockville, MD. Judy Meehan was with the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition, Alexandria, VA. Juliette Kendrick and Paul Stange were with the Centers for Disease Control and...), Pamela Johnson (0000-0003-0465-5672, At the time of the study, Robyn Whittaker was with The Commonwealth Fund, New York, NY. Sabrina Matoff-Stepp was with the Office of Women’s Health, Julie Baitty was with the Office of Information Technology, and Kyu Rhee was with the Immediate Office of the Administrator, Health Resources and Services Administration, Rockville, MD. Judy Meehan was with the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition, Alexandria, VA. Juliette Kendrick and Paul Stange were with the Centers for Disease Control and...), Pamela R Johnson (0000-0002-1603-2600, Healthy Start), Scott Ratzan (At the time of the study, Robyn Whittaker was with The Commonwealth Fund, New York, NY. Sabrina Matoff-Stepp was with the Office of Women’s Health, Julie Baitty was with the Office of Information Technology, and Kyu Rhee was with the Immediate Office of the Administrator, Health Resources and Services Administration, Rockville, MD. Judy Meehan was with the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition, Alexandria, VA. Juliette Kendrick and Paul Stange were with the Centers for Disease Control and...), Scott C Ratzan (0000-0001-5118-4506, Johnson & Johnson (United States)), Kyu Rhee (0000-0002-1545-2232, At the time of the study, Robyn Whittaker was with The Commonwealth Fund, New York, NY. Sabrina Matoff-Stepp was with the Office of Women’s Health, Julie Baitty was with the Office of Information Technology, and Kyu Rhee was with the Immediate Office of the Administrator, Health Resources and Services Administration, Rockville, MD. Judy Meehan was with the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition, Alexandria, VA. Juliette Kendrick and Paul Stange were with the Centers for Disease Control and...)
Year2012
Volume102
Issue12
Pages2207-2213
Publication date2012-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0090-0036 • E-ISSN: 1541-0048
PublisherAmerican Public Health Association (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2105/ajph.2012.300736
PMID23078509
PMCIDPMC3519339
OpenAlexW2020638884
LanguageEN
Citations received9
References cited25

Text4baby is the first free national health text messaging service in the United States that aims to provide timely information to pregnant women and new mothers to help them improve their health and the health of their babies. Here we describe the development of the text messages and the large public–private partnership that led to the national launch of the service in 2010. Promotion at the local, state, and national levels produced rapid uptake across the United States. More than 320 000 people enrolled with text4baby between February 2010 and March 2012. Further evaluations of the effectiveness of the service are ongoing; however, important lessons can be learned from its development and uptake

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