Mobile Fotonovelas Within a Text Message Outreach: An Innovative Tool to Build Health Literacy and Influence Behaviors in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

With all 50 US states reporting cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), people around the country are adapting and stepping up to the challenges of the pandemic; however, they are also frightened, anxious, and confused about what they can do to avoid exposure to the disease. Usual habits have been interrupted as a result of the crisis, and consumers are open to suggestions and strategies to help them change long-standing attitudes and behaviors. In response, a novel and innovative mobile communication capability was developed to present health messages in English and Spanish with links to fotonovelas (visual stories) that are accessible, easy to understand across literacy levels, and compelling to a diverse audience. While SMS text message outreach has been used to build health literacy and provide social support, few studies have explored the benefits of SMS text messaging combined with visual stories to influence health behaviors and build knowledge and self-efficacy. In particular, this approach can be used to provide vital information, resources, empathy, and support to the most vulnerable populations. This also allows providers and health plans to quickly reach out to their patients and members without any additional resource demands at a time when the health care system is severely overburdened.