World Heart Day: Health-promoting texts can keep your heart risk-free

Worried about your heart? A recent study has revealed that texts that are lifestyle focused can help battle cardiovascular diseases. 

A simple, low-cost automated program of semi-personalized mobile phone text messages supporting lifestyle change led to improvement in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, blood pressure, body mass index, and smoking status in patients with coronary heart disease, according to the study.

Mobile phone text messages to remind, encourage, and motivate patients regarding the adoption of healthy lifestyles might be useful, but there has been limited scientific evaluation of these interventions, according to background information in the article. In the study by Clara K. Chow of University of Sydney, Australia, and colleagues, majority of participants reported the text messages to be useful (91 percent), easy to understand (97 percent), and appropriate in frequency (86 percent).

The duration of these effects and hence whether they result in improved clinical outcomes remain to be determined, the authors conclude. The study appears in JAMA.