Adolescent Controlled Text Messaging to Improve Asthma Medication Adherence in Primary Care (ACT Me)

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

Status: Completed

Conditions: Persistent Asthma

Treatments: Behavioral: Text Messaging

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT02176694

1R21HL119826-01 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

2013-1184

Details and patient eligibility

About

A randomized controlled trial of a texting intervention to increase adherence to preventative asthma medication in four Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center primary care clinics.

Full description

Our first aim is to determine the feasibility, acceptability and use of a low intensity text messaging intervention to improve adherence to inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) therapy among high risk adolescents with persistent asthma. Our second aim is to determine effect sizes of the intervention to improve adherence (As measured by electronic monitoring and self-report); clinical asthma control; and asthma related quality of life among adolescents with persistent asthma. Our third and final aim is to determine the temporal relationship between text message receipt and ICS canister actuation in order to understand mechanisms by which text messaging may increase ICS adherence.

Enrollment: 29 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 12 to 21 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• provider-diagnosed persistent asthma
• prescription of an ICS in accordance in NHLBI Expert Panel Report 3 guidelines for at least 30 days prior to enrollment
• Asthma Control Test (ACT) score less than 20 (indicating lack of current control)
• no provider-diagnosed exacerbation in the 30 days prior to enrollment
• possession of a text-enabled cell phone and a plan to keep it throughout the study period
• agreement by parents (or participants over 18 years old) to any charges levied by their cell phone carrier for text messages associated with the study if they do not have an unlimited texting plan
• speak and read English

Exclusion criteria

• another chronic lung disease (which would complicate measurement of asthma control)
• cognitive or psychiatric disorder that the treating clinician judges would impair study participation
• use of Advair diskus for their ICS (for which no reliable electronic monitor exists)
• current enrollment in another asthma intervention study

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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29 participants in 2 patient groups

Standard Care

No Intervention group

Description:

Aside from the asthma education provided at enrollment and placement of the SmartInhaler (i.e.,electronic monitoring device), adolescents will continue to receive usual care through their primary care providers.

Text Messaging

Experimental group

Description:

A technology based system which allows adolescents to compose, schedule and send one-time or recurring text messages to their own cell phones.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Text Messaging