Effectiveness of text messages in the adherence to COVID-19 prevention practices: a quasi-experimental study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1590/1518-8345.7810.4708Keywords:
Text Messaging; Coronavirus; Social Isolation; Masks; Treatment Adherence and Compliance; Behavior TherapyAbstract
Objective: to analyze the effectiveness of messages sent by cell phone on adherence to the use of masks, hand hygiene and social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: a multicenter quasi-experimental clinical trial conducted in four Brazilian universities between July and October 2020. The sample consisted of 429 people from different Brazilian cities who received messages every two days for seven weeks about individual protection measures. Adherence to the measures was analyzed by an instrument developed by the researchers of the main center and refined in collaboration with researchers from the other centers, consisting of 13 questions and a five-point Likert scale, with the overall score ranging from 13 to 65 points, in which the higher the score, the greater the adherence. Statistical analysis was performed using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), considering p<0.05 as significant. Results: an improvement in the adherence score was observed over the weeks. When compared with the score obtained before the intervention, there was a significant improvement in adherence in the last two weeks (p<0.001). Conclusion: the intervention using messages sent by cell phone showed to be effective in promoting adherence to individual protection practices against COVID-19. However, the observed sample loss may have affected the results, limiting the generalizability of the findings. Therefore, the effects identified should be interpreted with caution. The Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials (RBR-2s94rb).
Downloads
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Revista Latino-Americana de Enfermagem
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
RLAE’s authorship concept is based on the substantial contribution by each of the individuals listed as authors, mainly in terms of conceiving and planning the research project, collecting or analyzing and interpreting data, writing and critical review. Indication of authors’ names under the article title is limited to six. If more, authors are listed on the online submission form under Acknowledgements. The possibility of including more than six authors will only be examined on multicenter studies, considering the explanations presented by the authors.Including names of authors whose contribution does not fit into the above criteria cannot be justified. Those names can be included in the Acknowledgements section.
Authors are fully responsible for the concepts disseminated in their manuscripts, which do not necessarily reflect the editors’ and editorial board’s opinion.
