Text Messaging Reminders Increase Vaccine Rates in Pregnant Women

Influenza vaccine text message reminders significantly elevated vaccine rates in low-income pregnant women.

Pregnant women suffer a high risk of severe complications from influenza. Hence, it is necessary for all pregnant women to have a flu vaccine irrespective of the stage of pregnancy.  The Influenza vaccine not only protects the mothers-to-be but also the unborn baby. In order to spread the message about the vaccine, certain methods were adopted of which vaccine text message reminders was one. The impact of these reminders in low-income obstetric population was evaluated by a team of researchers at the Mailman School of Public Health.

In this latest finding, the researchers noticed that the vaccine text message reminders led to a significant rise in vaccine rates in this population. The rise in vaccine rate was more evident in those women who received the text message during their early third trimester.

The researchers concluded this after analyzing nearly 1187 obstetric patients belonging to five different community-based clinics in New York City. The subjects were a part of the ambulatory care network that regularly gives influenza vaccinations to pregnant women.

The subjects present in the intervention group received five text messages in a week highlighting the significance of the vaccine. This started in mid September 2011. The women also received two text messages that were appointment reminders. The control group as well as the intervention group received the standard automated telephone appointment reminders.

At the end of the analysis, the researchers noticed that the vaccination coverage drastically enhanced with the introduction of text messages.  After considering certain factors that included the gestational age, number of visits made to the clinic, it was seen that the women in the intervention group were 30 percent more likely to receive the vaccine.  In the intervention group, women in their early third trimester had the highest effect of 61.9 percent when compared to 49 percent of the control group.

Melissa Stockwell, MD, MPH, Mailman School assistant professor of Population and Family Health said in a statement, "Vaccination during pregnancy helps to protect newborns. To achieve protection before influenza begins circulating in the community, we strongly recommend that women receive influenza vaccination during pregnancy and as soon as the vaccine becomes available in the fall."

The finding was documented in the American Journal of Public Health.