Acceptability of Phone Calls and Texts to Promote Healthy Behaviors Among Spanish-Speaking Hispanics

Individualized short message service (SMS; i.e., text messages) and/or phone calls (PC) in Spanish were examined as an effective interventional approach to increasing daily fruits and vegetables (F&V) and physical activity (PA) among community-dwelling Spanish-speaking Hispanics. Participants were randomized to one of three ordered groups: Control (n = 25), SMS (n = 27), or SMS + PC (n = 26). PA and F&V intake were measured at baseline and 12 weeks later, when acceptability and usefulness were evaluated. Using the Cochran-Armitage test, we found an increasing trend in the proportion of vegetable intake (p = .03) and leisure time PA (p = .004) across the interventions. Most respondents from the SMS and SMS + PC groups approved the modalities and frequency of contact and reported following the advice provided. SMS + PC was the most effective intervention to improve PA and vegetable intake among respondents. These findings support feasibility and acceptability of using remote access platforms, specifically, text and phone-based health communication strategies, with Spanish-speaking participants.

Automated summary

By using individualized SMS and phone calls, it was found that Spanish-speaking community-dwelling Hispanics can increase their daily intake of fruits and vegetables as well as physical activity. The SMS + PC group was the most effective intervention, showing improvements in both physical activity and vegetable intake among respondents. This demonstrates the feasibility and acceptability of using remote access platforms for health communication strategies with Spanish-speaking participants.