Texting may have its benefits, beyond allowing you to communicate with people.
A new study suggests that texting patients regular reminders to take care of themselves is linked to a lower risk of heart attacks and strokes, according to Reuters.
For the study, researchers reportedly sent four texts a week to about 350 people with heart disease to remind them to take on healthier habits. Another group of about 350 patients were reportedly given their usual care routines but didn’t receive encouraging texts.
After six months, patients who received texts reportedly had more success in reducing their weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and tobacco use than those who didn’t.
"I have to say, we were pretty surprised that it worked," says Clara Chow, lead author of the study and program director of community-based cardiac services at Westmead Hospital in Sydney, Australia, according to NPR.
“These are the things that medications usually do, not text messages.”
It’s important to note that the texts that were sent to patients were reportedly semi-personalized, based on background information about each person, such as smoking status and preferred name.
The great aspect of this potential new method of boosting treatment is that it is actually a low-cost program and can be done by anyone.
"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," Chow stated.
“Everybody owns a mobile phone these days. You don't have to have a smartphone to text."
The texts go beyond just reminding someone to do something for their health. Many of the patients reportedly found that the idea that someone is thinking about them and supporting them was beneficial.
Although Chow stated that the recent study has its limitations, more than 90 percent of the participants reportedly found the texting program useful.
Even though it wasn’t a requirement to respond to the texts, many of the participants reportedly did.
“Heaps of them replied to us,” Chow stated.
"They would say, 'Thanks for the message. I've been on my walk, my blood pressure is better.'"
