Text Message Reminders for Child Influenza Vaccination in the Setting of School-Located Influenza Vaccination: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-1-2019

Identifier

DOI: 10.1177/0009922818821878

Abstract

Half of US school children receive influenza vaccine. In our previous trials, school-located influenza vaccination (SLIV) raised vaccination rates by 5 to 8 percentage points. We assessed whether text message reminders to parents could raise vaccination rates above those observed with SLIV. Within urban elementary schools we randomized families into text message + SLIV (intervention) versus SLIV alone (comparison). All parents were sent 2 backpack notifications plus 2 autodialer phone reminders about SLIV at a single SLIV clinic. Intervention group parents also were sent 3 text messages from the school nurse encouraging flu vaccination via either primary care or SLIV. Among 15 768 children at 32 schools, vaccination rates were text + SLIV (40%) and SLIV control (40%); 4% of students per group received influenza vaccination at SLIV. Text message reminders did not raise influenza vaccination rates above those observed with SLIV alone. More intensive interventions are needed to raise influenza vaccination rates.

Journal Title

Clinical pediatrics

Volume

58

Issue

4

First Page

428

Last Page

436

MeSH Keywords

Child; Female; Humans; Influenza Vaccines; Influenza, Human; Male; New York; Reminder Systems; School Health Services; Text Messaging

Keywords

immunization rates; influenza vaccination; school-located influenza vaccination; text messaging

Link to Full Text
Library Record

Share

COinS