Flu Shots - Text messages have been discovered to be the most effective way to get children fully vaccinated and protected against the flu.
According to a new study conducted from the Mailman School of Public Health and Columbia University Medical Center, more low income parents were reminded of the importance of taking their children back to the hospital for their second flu shot after receiving educational text messages.
Children under nine years of age are required to take two doses of flu vaccines in order to be fully protected from the seasonal disease.
However, mainly because parents forget, about one third of children in the U.S. don't get the second flu shot, which is to be taken 28 days after the first.
The first flu vaccine is said to prime the child's immune system. while the second protects the immune system.
According to the results of the study, which was published on Monday in the Journal Pediatrics, researchers observed 660 children between 6 months to 8-year-old.
Researchers developed several ways to determine the most effective way to remind parents to take their kids to the hospital for their second flu shot.
A group of parents were sent educational texts messages regarding the importance of the second dose, another group were sent conventional reminder texts, while the last set of parents received only hand written reminders.
According to reports, the results of the study clearly revealed that families who received educational test messages responded well and were most likely to take their kids back for the second flu vaccine.
About 72.7% of parents who received educational texts took their kids for the second dose, while 66.7% of conventional text group and 51.1% for the group that received hand written reminders responded likewise.
"People said they really liked the texts" says Dr. Melissa Stockwell, a pediatrician and assistant professor at Columbia, who led the flu shots study. "They actually said it showed that the doctor's office cared about them."
About 61% of parents said the educational texts were either the main reason or part of the reason they took their kids to the hospital for the second flu shot. 71% said it was one of the reasons.
According to reports, over 20,000 small children have been hospitalized for the flu last season while more than 100 have died.
"Some parents think that just one dose is good enough," Stockwell said. "Adding that information to the text reminders gives a little extra impetus for families to come back into the clinic."
