Trial reportJournal of the American College of Nutrition
Effect of a Multi-Site Trial using Short Message Service (SMS) on Infant Feeding Practices and Weight Gain in Low-Income Minorities.
Trial report in Journal of the American College of Nutrition. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT02903186 (Multi-site Trial Using Short Mobile Messages), which is not on this map. Cited by 28 papers, 13 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.
Multi-site Trial Using Short Mobile Messages (SMS) to Improve Infant Weight in Low-income Minorities
Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed, 13 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 35 citations in OpenAlex.
- Digital Interventions Targeting Parents to Improve Early Childhood Movement, Nutrition, and Sleep Behaviors: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of remote breastfeeding guidance on breastfeeding rates and neonatal health: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Parent-focused behavioural interventions for the prevention of early childhood obesity (TOPCHILD): a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis.Lancet (London, England) · 2025Pooled it
- Behavioural components and delivery features of early childhood obesity prevention interventions: intervention coding of studies in the TOPCHILD Collaboration systematic review.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2025Pooled it
- Identifying behavior change techniques (BCTs) in responsive feeding interventions to prevent childhood obesity-A systematic review.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2025Pooled it
- Teleintervention's effects on breastfeeding in low-income women in high income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.International breastfeeding journal · 2024Pooled it
- Interventions to prevent obesity in Latinx children birth to 6 years globally: a systematic review.Public health nutrition · 2023Pooled it
- Engagement With and Acceptability of Digital Media Platforms for Use in Improving Health Behaviors Among Vulnerable Families: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Pooled it
- Support for healthy breastfeeding mothers with healthy term babies.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2022Pooled it
- Remote provision of breastfeeding support and education: Systematic review and meta-analysis.Maternal & child nutrition · 2022Pooled it
- Addressing obesity in the first 1000 days in high risk infants: Systematic review.Maternal & child nutrition · 2021Pooled it
- Education of family members to support weaning to solids and nutrition in later infancy in term-born infants.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2020Pooled it
- Targeted client communication via mobile devices for improving maternal, neonatal, and child health.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2020Pooled it
- Baby-Feed Pilot Trial for Improving Diet and Weight Gain in Infants and Toddlers.Maternal and child health journal · 2026Trial
- The effect of the Baby-Feed website intervention on diet quality in healthy infants: a randomized controlled trial.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2026Trial
- Baby-Act Intervention to Prevent Excessive Infant Weight Gain: Development, Implementation, Lessons Learned, and Future Applications.Maternal and child health journal · 2025Trial
- Biomarker-based text messages to promote lactation success in mothers of critically Ill infants: a randomized controlled pilot study.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2024Trial
- Effect of a Short Messaging Service (SMS) intervention delivered to caregivers on energy, nutrients, and food groups intake in infant participants of the WIC program.Frontiers in public health · 2022Trial
- The Development and Evaluation of a Text Message Program to Prevent Perceived Insufficient Milk Among First-Time Mothers: Retrospective Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2020Trial
- A Scoping Review of Instruments Used to Measure Weight and Body Composition in Infants Under 1 Year.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTo test the effects of weekly SMS for improving infant feeding practices and infant weight.
methodsThis was a multi-site randomized clinical trial in a convenience sample of 202 caregivers of healthy term infants 0-2 months participating in the WIC program in Puerto Rico and Hawaii. Participants were randomized to receive SMS about infant's general health issues (control) or SMS for improving feeding practices (intervention) for four months. Weight, length and infant feeding practices were assessed at baseline and four months later.
resultsA total of 170 participants completed the study (n = 86 control and n = 84 intervention). Baseline characteristics were similar between groups. At the end, exclusive breastfeeding rates were similar between groups (67.4% control and 59.1% intervention). Introduction of other foods and beverages, addition of foods to the bottle, placing infants to sleep with milk bottles, caregiver's method and response to feeding infants and distractions while feeding infants were similar between groups. Also, weight status or rate of weight gain was similar between groups.
conclusionThere were no significant improvements in feeding practices or in weight with the intervention. The timeline of the messages in relation to the targeted behavior may have affected the effectiveness of the intervention. Earlier dissemination of messages, higher level of intensity, longer intervention, additional contacts and inclusion of other caregivers may be needed to achieve the desired effects.
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.