Category: Press Releases


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Weekly Text for Breastfeeding

More Research Shows that Weekly Texts Appear to Improve Breastfeeding Rates

Abstract

Background: Breastfeeding is recognized as the optimal method for feeding infants with health gains made by reducing infectious diseases in infancy; and chronic diseases, including obesity, in childhood, adolescence and adulthood. Despite this, exclusivity and duration in developed countries remains resistant to improvement. The objectives of this research were to test if an automated mobile phone text messaging intervention, delivering one text message a week, could increase “any” breastfeeding rates and improve breastfeeding self-efficacy and coping.

Methods: Women were eligible to participate if they were: over eighteen years; had an infant less than three months old; were currently breastfeeding; no diagnosed mental illness; and used a mobile phone. Women in the intervention group received MumBubConnect, a text messaging service with automated responses delivered once a week for 8 weeks. Women in the comparison group received their usual care and were sampled two years after the intervention group. Data collection included online surveys at two time points, week zero and week nine, to measure breastfeeding exclusivity and duration, coping, emotions, accountability and self-efficacy. A range of statistical analyses were used to test for differences between groups. Hierarchical regression was used to investigate change in breastfeeding outcome, between groups, adjusting for co-variates.

Results: The intervention group had 120 participants at commencement and 114 at completion, the comparison group had 114 participants at commencement and 86 at completion. MumBubConnect had a positive impact on the primary outcome of breastfeeding behaviors with women receiving the intervention more likely to continue exclusive breastfeeding; with a 6% decrease in exclusive breastfeeding in the intervention group, compared to a 14% decrease in the comparison group (p < 0.001). This remained significant after controlling for infant age, mother’s income, education and delivery type (p = 0.04). Women in the intervention group demonstrated active coping and were less likely to display emotions-focused coping (p < .001). There was no discernible statistical effect on self-efficacy or accountability.

Conclusions: A fully automated text messaging services appears to improve exclusive breastfeeding duration. The service provides a well-accepted, personalized support service that empowers women to actively resolve breastfeeding issues.

Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12614001091695.

Text to Keyword for WIC

Post-COVID-19 WIC Recruitment & Outreach Options April 15, 2020

Text to Keyword for WIC

Post-COVID-19 WIC Recruitment & Outreach Options April 15, 2020

Post-COVID-19 WIC Recruitment & Outreach Options April 15, 2020

WIC has experienced declining caseloads for many years which means that recruitment efforts must take a high priority. However, during these confusing times with the majority of WIC staff working from home, recruitment efforts have likely taken a backseat to providing vital services to existing participants.

A WIC Outreach and Survey Report indicated the most frequently used recruitment activities by Local Agencies are:

  • Social Media (unpaid)
  • Phone calls or text messages to previous participants who have not picked up checks
  • Displays at community events
  • Displays at community partners such as food banks and hospitals
  • Building ongoing relationships with community partners.

Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, unfortunately the last three Outreach options can’t be utilized leaving only unpaid Social Media and phone calls or text messages to previous participants. Agencies are limited to texting and calling previous participants because they don’t have phone numbers to non-participants.

One Call Now has the perfect solution to both advertise WIC services AND collect non-participant phone numbers.

ADVERTISE: One Call Now’s Text to Keyword is the perfect WIC recruitment tool. Your agency selects a unique Keyword such as #IM4WIC and then designs the automated reply received when someone texts that word to the special short code to learn more. Example Text Reply: WIC has great food benefits. See if you qualify at www.wicurl.com.

These Keywords can be placed on your Facebook Page and also posted on partner Facebook sites such as the local health department, charity sites, social service agencies, and other areas where people may be looking for information and help.

COLLECTING NON-PARTICIPANT PHONE #’S: Once somebody texts to your Keyword for more information, their phone number is automatically added to a special One Call Now subgroup. Each Keyword has its own special subgroup.

  • Use different Keywords on different sites to learn which ones are drawing the most people.
  • Once they text the Keyword you have access to the cell phone number where you may use your One Call Now service to send ad-hoc follow up messages in bulk or individually.

RETENTION: During these times, it’s also important to focus on maintaining the current caseload

As noted in the WIC Outreach and Survey Report “The two retention activities that agencies reported were most effective were texting participants and providing incentives. More specifically, the majority (54%) of state and local agencies said they saw an increase in retention as a result of texting participants”

 

One Call Now makes it easy for your agency to conduct various Text for Retention strategies either through automated messaging with secure and encrypted two-way chat/audio/video integration, weekly age appropriate breastfeeding texts, and ad-hoc correspondence (with two-way integration) from Peers and Clinic staff.

Learn more

Contact us 

 

ONE CALL NOW TEXT

COVID-19 WIC & SOCIAL SERVICE: Giving Back When You Can – April 10, 2020

ONE CALL NOW TEXT

COVID-19 WIC & SOCIAL SERVICE: Giving Back When You Can -April 10, 2020

 

During these difficult and confusing times, it’s important that we all rally together to help one another.

 

Everyone has been feeling the economic effects of the novel coronavirus in one way or another, with some of the hardest hit being small business owners, lower-level employees, children, and healthcare facilities. Many who have the means to give are ready to, but might not be sure where to start.  "The New York Times" offers suggestions for reputable charities that are offering help to those who need it most.

  • Charity Navigator has a page dedicated to COVID-19. This site helps you find local or national organizations to give to and rates them so you know your money is going where it’s needed most.
  • Global Giving's coronavirus relief fund is a crowd-sourced donation effort to provide help to medical professionals, struggling families, the elderly, and school children.
  • Relief International provides medical equipment to areas of need around the world. With shortages in many of the hardest-hit countries, they’re working around the clock to get medical items distributed.
  • If you don’t have the financial means to donate, consider donating blood to American Red Cross. As uncertainty has spread, so have blood shortages. Healthy donors are needed to ensure a steady supply of blood for emergencies.
  • Most children across the country are out of school right now and many (roughly 30 million) relied on school for access to healthy meals. Save the Children is working to provide meals and medical supplies to those children.
  • Feeding America is working to provide food to their network of food distributors across the country. This includes 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries.
  • With children out of school, some are having difficulty finding learning opportunities without Internet access. First Book has a goal of sending 7 million books to children in low-income communities so they can continue learning during this time.

 

You can also support your local community in a variety of ways. Some suggestions include:

  • Donating food, money, or personal hygiene supplies to local homeless shelters. Many homeless shelters are seeing a decrease in donations as high-demand products are hard to come by. Due to the crowded nature of many homeless shelters, sanitization products are very much needed.
  • Fostering or adopting a pet in need of a home, or donating supplies to your local animal shelter.
  • Bringing food to your local food bank to help with the food scarcity many cities and towns are experiencing.

Supporting a local GoFundMe for a needy family or organization in your area. You can do a search on the GoFundMe website to find opportunities to give.

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