Runsen Zhuang|Yueying Xiang|Ting Han|Guo-An Yang|Yuan Zhang
Cell phone–based health education messaging improves health literacy
Southern Medical University|Shenzhen University Health Science Center|Southern Medical University|181st Hospital of Chinese People's Liberation Army|Shenzhen University Health Science Center|Shenzhen University Health Science Center|Shenzhen University Health Science Center
backgroundthe ubiquity cell phones allow short message service sms provides new innovative opportunities disease prevention health educationobjective explore use cell phonebased health education sms improve health literacy community residents chinamethods multistage random sampling method used select representative study communities participants 18 years oldintervention participants sent health education smss week 1 year controls sent conventional basic health education measureshealth literacy levels residents intervention evaluated intervention control groupsresults public health literacy scores increased 15 points 618 633 sms intervention 1 year p001 increase greater males females 201 vs 103p001 shenzhen local residents nonpermanent residents 256 vs 114p001the frequency high health literacy scores greater intervention control group 2203 3093 vs 2207 2082with health literacy costeffective index costeffectiveness per intervention 054conclusion sms may useful tool improving health literacy