New Research Proves The Power of the Humble Text Message for Health Intervention
A recent systematic review published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research confirms what our team at Help Texts sees every day: text messaging is the most accessible, effective, and evidence-based digital health intervention available.
Here's what the research shows:
Text messaging has become routine in health interventions worldwide because of its strong, consistent evidence base. It's been adopted into national-level health promotion programs across demographics and ethnic groups—because it's simple, and it works.
The numbers speak for themselves:
- 95% of text messages are opened within 3 minutes
- Email open rates? Just 20%
- Text messages have a 209% higher response rate than phone calls, email, or social media
Why text messaging works for public health:
- Low cost, vast reach, high read rates
- Can be tailored and personalized at scale
- Ideal for multilingual, culturally tailored delivery
- Most equitable way to reach people regardless of phone type, socioeconomic status, or geographic location
- Texts provide a dopamine boost that make us feel cared for and boost motivation
The research confirms that unprompted, brief text messages:
- Deliver information in digestible, bite-sized amounts
- Provide motivation and support without requiring active engagement
- Offer positive reinforcement when people need it most
This is exactly why Help Texts exists.
We deliver clinically sound bereavement support in 28 languages to people in all 50 states and 61 countries. No smartphone required. No internet needed. No barriers.
We reach rural communities, hard-to-reach populations, and people who would never access traditional grief support. Our bite-sized messages are easy to absorb, and our data shows people are more motivated to practice the coping skills we suggest.
Text messaging is often the most overlooked digital health modality—but it's the most effective, accessible, and science-backed.
While the tech world chases AI and apps, we're leveraging what research has proven works: the humble and simple text message.
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Source: Dobson, R., Whittaker, R., Abroms, L. C., Bramley, D., Free, C., McRobbie, H., Stowell, M., & Rodgers, A. (2024). Don’t Forget the Humble Text Message: 25 Years of Text Messaging in Health. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 26, e59888. https://doi.org/10.2196/59888