Impact of a Mobile Phone and Educational Intervention

Impact of a Mobile Phone and Educational Intervention on Health-related Quality of Life and Health Behaviors of African Americans With Asthma or COPD

The purpose of this pilot study was to:

1. partner with African American churches to increase awareness of COPD.
2. use a community-based approach to facilitate early detection of COPD in the church setting. The pre-screening with a paper-based tool and spirometry testing were provided at community health fairs at the churches.
3. determine the impact of a combined intervention (education and mobile phone/text messages) on health related-related quality of life and health behaviors of African Americans with asthma and COPD.

The study used a randomized controlled trial (RCT) design to assess the effect of the intervention (education and mobile text-messaging) on health-related quality of life and health behaviors recommended for improved COPD self-management. All participants received the educational component then were randomized to a control group and intervention group, in which participants received mobile phone-based text messages on improving health behaviors associated with better self-management of asthma and COPD.

This pilot study evaluated the feasibility and impact of a combined intervention on HRQOL and three health behaviors (nutrition, physical activity, avoiding triggers) in African Americans with asthma or COPD. This was a community-based intervention that recruited participants from six predominantly African American churches. African Americans over 18 years with asthma or COPD were randomized to control or intervention. Intervention received education (asthma COPD (ACOPD) Program) and a one-month text-messaging program, while control received the ACOPD Program alone. Measures were made at three- and 9-month follow-up. Independent and paired t-tests were used to examine HRQOL between groups and over time.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Eligible participants for the study were African American adults of 18 years and above.

Participants had to have reported physician diagnosed (on the survey distributed at the church) or spirometry diagnosed (at the community health fair) asthma or COPD, access to a text-messaging enabled mobile phone, and provision of signed informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Individuals unwilling to participate in the study and patients with other chronic lung diseases, terminal, or comorbid illnesses more severe in nature than asthma or COPD (i.e., heart disease and cancer) were excluded from the study.