Trial reportMedicine2020
Impact of mobile phone text messaging intervention on adherence among patients with diabetes in a rural setting: A randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in Medicine, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 7 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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 33 citations in OpenAlex.
- Diabetes self-management education and support delivered by mobile health (mHealth) interventions for adults with type 2 diabetes-A systematic review and meta-analysis.Diabetic medicine : a journal of the British Diabetic Association · 2025Pooled it
- Health-promotion interventions targeting multiple behaviors: A meta-analytic review of general and behavior-specific processes of change.Psychological bulletin · 2024Pooled it
- Therapeutic patient education programs on diabetes in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review.PloS one · 2024Pooled it
- Diabetes self-care intervention strategies and their effectiveness in Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review.PloS one · 2024Pooled it
- What is the effect of mobile phone text message reminders on medication adherence among adult type 2 diabetes mellitus patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.BMC endocrine disorders · 2023Pooled 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
- Telemedicine to deliver diabetes care in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Bulletin of the World Health Organization · 2021Pooled it
- Adoption of Telemedicine in African Health Policy in Pre and Post COVID-19 Eras: Innovations, Limitations, Challenges, and Lessons Learned.Health science reports · 2026Article
- Key Elements and Theoretical Foundations for the Design and Delivery of Text Messages to Boost Medication Adherence in Patients With Diabetes, Hypertension, and Hyperlipidemia: Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Physical activity interventions implemented for older people in Sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review.BMJ open · 2024Article
- Intention to use mobile text message reminders for medication adherence among hypertensive patients in North West Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study.BMC health services research · 2024Article
- Investigating How the Use of Technology Can Reduce Missed Appointments: Quantitative Case Study at a General Practitioner Surgery.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Article
- Preferences for Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Among Women and Men in Kenya: Key Considerations for Designing Implementation Strategies to Increase Screening Uptake.Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education · 2023Article
- Effectiveness of Digital Health Interventions Containing Game Components for the Self-management of Type 2 Diabetes: Systematic Review.JMIR serious games · 2023Review
- Effectiveness of educational intervention among seropositive women about knowledge about HIV sexual transmission.Revista brasileira de enfermagem · 2023Article
- Analyzing the Effectiveness of mHealth to Manage Diabetes Mellitus Among Adults Over 50: A Systematic Literature Review.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2023Review
- The Effect of a Mobile and Wearable Device Intervention on Increased Physical Activity to Prevent Metabolic Syndrome: Observational Study.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2022Observational
- Utility of telemedicine in sub-Saharan Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic. A rapid review.Human behavior and emerging technologies · 2021Review
- Perceptions of a mobile phone-based approach to promote medication adherence: A cross-sectional application of the technology acceptance model.Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy · 2021Article
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 at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundNonadherence to prescribed therapy is a significant challenge at the primary healthcare level of South Africa. There are documented evidence of the potential impact of mobile health technology in improving adherence and compliance to treatment. This study assessed the effect of unidirectional text messaging on adherence to dietary and activity regimens among adults living with diabetes in a rural setting of Eastern Cape, South Africa.
methodsThis was a 2-arm, multicenter, parallel, randomized controlled trial, involving a total of 216 patients with diabetes with uncontrolled glycemic status randomly assigned into the intervention (n = 108) and the control group (n = 108). Participants in the intervention arm received daily educational text messages on diabetes and reminders for 6 months, while the control arm continued with standard care only. A validated, self-developed adherence scale was used to assess participants' adherence to diets and physical activity. Descriptive statistics and linear regression were used to assess changes in adherence and the effect of the intervention on adherence to therapy.
resultsOn a scale of 8, the mean medication adherence level for the intervention group was 6.90 (SD ± 1.34) while that of the control group was 6.87 (SD ± 1.32) with no statistical difference (P = .88). The adjusted mean change in the medication adherence level was 0.02 (-0.33 to 0.43) with no significant difference (P = .79). There was however a low level of adherence to dietary recommendations (1.52 ± 1.62), and physical activity (1.48 ± 1.58) at baseline, and both groups demonstrated a nonsignificant increase in dietary (P = .98) and physical activity adherence (P = .99) from baseline to the follow-up period.
conclusionThere is a moderate level of adherence to medication and a low level of adherence to dietary and physical activity recommendation in this setting. The text messaging intervention did not bring about any significant improvement in medication, dietary and physical activity adherence levels. There is a need to design effective strategies for improving adherence to recommended lifestyle changes in this setting.
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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.