Using text messaging to prevent early pediatric obesity

The purpose of this study was to determine whether parents of infants prefer gain- or loss-framed text messages to promote healthy feeding behaviors and to determine the preferred time of day, day of the week, and frequency of text messages. Thirty-four parents of infants 3 months of age or younger completed an online survey. Parents rated how helpful each message was and the likelihood they would change or continue the feeding practice based on the message using a 5-point Likert scale. For messages related to benefits and self-efficacy of breastfeeding, gain–framed messages were rated as more helpful (mean = 2.32; P = .03; mean = 1.79; P = .041, respectively, mean difference = 0.53.) For overall helpfulness and likelihood, there were no differences between gain-framed versus loss-framed messages. Thirty-eight percent of parents reported wanting to receive text messages one time per week in the morning.