Texting 4 Health: A Simple, Powerful Way to Change Lives (Stanford University) (Stanford University) [Paperback]

Editor-BJ Fogg; Editor-Richard Adler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 2009

New from Stanford University, this book will show you how text messaging on mobile phones can promote health.

The 15 chapters are easy to read, written by experts involved in "Texting 4 Health" at Stanford University. From this book you'll learn about successful texting programs and practical guidelines to create interventions for better health.

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Table of Contents

Section I. The Case for Texting4Health

1. "Why Texting4Health?" by BJ Fogg
2. "The Landscape of Texting4Health" by Richard Adler

Section II. Using Texting for Health Promotion

3. "Ten Uses of Texting to Improve Health" by BJ Fogg & Enrique Allen
4. "mDiet: A Personalized Approach to Weight Management Using Text Messaging" by Kevin Patrick, Fred Raab, Marc Adams & Lindsay Dillon
5. "Text "Ahhhhh" for Me Please" by Mark Smith & Lisa Harris
6. "Using Technology to Promote Youth Sexual Health" by Deb Levine
7. "Texting 2 Increase Physical Activity" by Jill Fattor & Anne Friedlander
8. "Zume Life: Creating Self-Care Solutions" by Rajiv Mehta

Section III. Getting Started with Texting4Health and Research

9: "SMS and New Messaging Alternatives" by Stew A. Skomra
10. "Reach Out and Text Someone" by Jed Alpert & Benjamin Stein
11. "Creating a Remarkably Mobile Program" by Eric Holmen & Richard Adler
12. "Informing the Design of Mobile Health Messaging Services with User Research" by Dean Eckles
13. "Usability Testing for Text Messaging" by Nick Sabadosh

Section IV. International Perspectives

14. "Mobile Healthcare for a Developing World" by Ken Banks
15. "Beyond Texting: More Technologies for Health" by Paul Meyer

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Captology Media (2009)
• ISBN-10: 0979502543
• ISBN-13: 978-0979502545
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #433,283 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely useful and accessible, May 29, 2009

By 

Neal Gorenflo (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Texting 4 Health: A Simple, Powerful Way to Change Lives (Stanford University) (Stanford University) (Paperback)

Texting 4 Health is a primer on cell phone texting technology, a text campaign how to guide, and a rich library of case studies demonstrating how texting can be used to promote health in one neat package.

It's an exceptionally useful and accessible book. It's a must have book for anyone planning a public health intervention. I say that because texting has the potential to enhance almost any effort due to the wide use of cell phones by patients. It's the perfect channel for short messages targeted to trigger specific health promoting behaviors.

I picked it up because my wife and I designed a pilot for a major health care system to help moms with newborns. The goal was to reduce unnecessary visits which add costs and reduce patient satisfaction. We found that a educational booklet, a short class before sending moms home, and two follow up phone conferences reduced unnecessary visits to zero and dramatically increased patient satisfaction. The challenge was to get moms to call in for the conference calls. We think we could dramatically increase participation in the follow up conference calls using text messages to remind moms to dial into conference calls. This book has given us the insight we need to add a text dimension to our campaign.

Another appealing aspect is that this book is written by both practitioners and academics. It has a practical how-to element as well as great user research. I particularly liked chapter 12, which talks about designing text messaging services with user research. This is what I expect of Stanford University, having catalyzed the miracle that is Silicon Valley by bridging the academic and practical worlds.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Academic use of Texting 4 Health, November 15, 2009

By 

David B. Miller (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Texting 4 Health: A Simple, Powerful Way to Change Lives (Stanford University) (Stanford University) (Paperback)

I have worked with the Persuasive Technology Lab at Stanford, and work in the persuasion academic space. This is a great collection of applications of mobile persuasion for health benefit, and I recommend it for anyone working in health or persuasive technology.