The Best Texts Sent by Teens!

They catch a lot of flak for it, but a recent study proved texting, of all things, can actually improve teenagers' health. And down the line, it might improve yours, too. 

There are two caveats: the teens in the study had chronic conditions (diabetes, cystic fibrosis or inflammatory bowel disease). And they were texting with their doctor.

The good news is that the teens who participated were more likely to request help at the first sign of problems. That’s important because early treatment is key to avoiding hospitalizations, which are disruptive and expensive for all involved.

Lead author Dr. Jeannie Huang. from the University of California, San Diego, told Reuters Health recently that teens often delay contacting medical professionals until a health issue has become a crisis, and that previous attempts to provide ways for teens to reach out to their doctors at the first sign of trouble have largely failed.

“How do you reach people who don’t come into the clinic? Mobile technology is a great way because it’s meeting teens in their own space. Kids want to fit in. Oftentimes they don’t want to bother people. They often come into the hospital very sick. If they tell me early, we can keep them out of the hospital.”  

The participants in the program received information on managing their health via regular old mail or via a digital communication tool called MD2ME. Those who used MD2ME contacted their health professional an average of twice over an eight-month period in the study. The snail mailers never reached out.

Dr. Mark Applebaum, of the University of Chicago, was not involved in the study but told Reuters Health that he thought it a step in the right direction.

“For patients with chronic illness, once they turn 18 or go to college, their health status often deteriorates,” he said. “If you leave a voicemail on a teenagers’ phone, they’re likely not to check it for a month. The teens vastly prefer text messaging.”
 
And just as texting started as a teen thing but eventually spread more broadly, you might see text-based medicine soon enough. How long till “take two aspirin and text me in the morning”?