SynthesisAnnual review of public health2015
Mobile text messaging for health: a systematic review of reviews.
Synthesis in Annual review of public health, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 11 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 467 papers, 12 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Text4Peds: Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating Medical Student Education
Mobile Phone Messaging to Parents: To Improve Oral Hygiene Among Primary School Children In Quetta, Pakistan
Effectiveness and Implementation of mPATH-CRC: a Mobile Health System for Colorectal Cancer Screening
Behavior Change and Digital Health Interventions for Improved TB Treatment Outcomes: a RCT
A Brief Motivational Enhancement Lifestyle Modification Programme to Reduce Body Weight in Overweight Subjects With OSA: Needs Assessment
Software Application for Low-Sodium Diet Trial (SALT): A Pilot Study
Supportive Text Messaging Versus Supportive E-mail Messaging for Patients With Major Depressive Disorder - A Non-Inferiority Randomized Trial
Step-2-It: A Pilot Study to Assess Feasibility of Using SMS Based Mobile Technology to Increase Physical Activity in Adult Rural Women at Risk for Cardiovascular Disease
A Smartphone-based Self-management Support Program for Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease - A Needs Assessment Survey
A Pilot Trial of a Smartphone-based Self-management Support Program for Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
CONNECT-AKI: COordiNated CommuNication, Education, and Care Transitions After Acute Kidney Injury - A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial
Who cites it
467 citing papers in PubMed, 12 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Effectiveness of Text Messaging Interventions on BMI Among Adults With Prediabetes: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2026Pooled it
- Digital health interventions for promoting adults lifestyle behaviors: who is being left behind? An evidence synthesis of social inequality.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2026Pooled it
- Mapping the effectiveness of digital health interventions in promoting electronic cigarette cessation: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.BMC public health · 2025Pooled it
- Engagement With Conversational Agent-Enabled Interventions in Cardiometabolic Disease Self-Management: Systematic Review.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2025Pooled it
- The Effectiveness of Instant Messaging-Based Interventions on Health Behavior Change: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Worldviews on evidence-based nursing · 2025Pooled it
- Armed violent conflict and healthcare-seeking behavior for maternal and child health in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review.PloS one · 2025Pooled it
- Interventions for improving coverage of childhood immunisation in low- and middle-income countries.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2023Pooled it
- Ecological momentary interventions for smoking cessation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2023Pooled it
- Conversational Agents for Body Weight Management: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Pooled it
- A Systematic Review of Compensation and Technology-Mediated Strategies to Maintain Older Adults' Medication Adherence.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Pooled it
- A Systematic Review of Internet-Based Interventions for the Prevention and Self-Management of Cardiovascular Diseases among People of African Descent.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Clinical and patient-centered implementation outcomes of mHealth interventions for type 2 diabetes in low-and-middle income countries: a systematic review.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2022Pooled it
- Identifying Active Ingredients that Cause Change in Digital Parent Training Programs for Child Behavior Problems: A Qualitative Exploration.Child psychiatry and human development · 2026Trial
- Optimizing Web Links Used in Digital Vaccination Invitations to Raise Trust and Booking Intention: 3 Online Randomized Controlled Trials.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Trial
- Evaluation of Short Videos Supporting Healthy Eating and Physical Activity in Early Childhood Education: The Small Bites for Big Steps Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial.Health promotion journal of Australia : official journal of Australian Association of Health Promotion Professionals · 2026Trial
- Text Messaging Intervention for Postpartum Alcohol Use: Micro-Randomized Trial Supports Feasibility, Acceptability, and Maternal Message Preference.Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs · 2026Trial
- Effects of a Text Message-Based Lifestyle Intervention on HbA1c and Health Behaviors in Older Adults with Prediabetes.Nutrients · 2026Trial
- Linkage of Emergency Department Patients With Public Benefits Navigators via Text Messages: A Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA health forum · 2026Trial
- Pilot Study of a Mobile, Virtual Reality-Based Digital Therapeutic for Smoking Cessation: Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2025Trial
- Impact of Ecological Momentary Assessment Participation on Short-Term Smoking Cessation: quitSTART Ecological Momentary Assessment Incentivization Randomized Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Trial
407 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
The aim of this systematic review of reviews is to identify mobile text-messaging interventions designed for health improvement and behavior change and to derive recommendations for practice. We have compiled and reviewed existing systematic research reviews and meta-analyses to organize and summarize the text-messaging intervention evidence base, identify best-practice recommendations based on findings from multiple reviews, and explore implications for future research. Our review found that the majority of published text-messaging interventions were effective when addressing diabetes self-management, weight loss, physical activity, smoking cessation, and medication adherence for antiretroviral therapy. However, we found limited evidence across the population of studies and reviews to inform recommended intervention characteristics. Although strong evidence supports the value of integrating text-messaging interventions into public health practice, additional research is needed to establish longer-term intervention effects, identify recommended intervention characteristics, and explore issues of cost-effectiveness.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.