Free texting tips for pregnant women, new mothers
Thursday, February 4th, 2010UTMB partners in unprecedented partnership to address rising U.S. infant mortality
GALVESTON, Texas - The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston has partnered with National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition to provide a free mobile information service, called “text4baby,” providing timely health information to pregnant women and new mothers from pregnancy through a baby’s first year.
The program, which launched nationally today, allows women to sign up for the service by texting BABY to 511411 (or BEBE in Spanish). Beginning the day after they sign up, women will receive a free, daily message for the first six days with key starter messages. Then, the service will provide three free SMS text messages each week, timed to their due date or the baby’s date of birth.
These messages focus on a variety of topics critical to maternal and child health, including birth defects prevention, immunization, nutrition, seasonal flu, mental health, oral health and safe sleep. The messages also connect women to prenatal and infant care services and other resources.
“UTMB is proud to be a part of text4baby,” said Marlo Jasek, women’s health nurse practitioner. “Text messaging can deliver the right health information at the right time to pregnant women and new moms, and can be particularly helpful in reaching underserved populations.”
According to the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition, research shows that, while 90 percent of Americans have a mobile phone, fewer have access to the Internet, and texting is more prevalent among women of childbearing age.
As long as the user subscribes to one of the text4baby mobile operator partners, she will be able to access the text4baby service without charge. Each text message begins with “Free msg” to remind users that this is a message delivered at no cost to them.
Pregnant women can subscribe to the service at any point in pregnancy, and mothers of children under 12 months can sign up at any point during their baby’s first year.
Women can also sign up and find out more at http://www.text4baby.org/.
Each year in the United States, more than 500,000 babies are born prematurely, and an estimated 28,000 children die before their first birthday. The infant mortality rate in the United States is one of the highest in the industrialized world and, for the first time since the 1950s, that rate is on the rise.
The text4baby wireless carriers are voluntarily providing the critical communications link of the initiative, distributing text messages to recipients at no charge. Participating carriers include Alltel, Assurance Wireless, AT&T, Boost Mobile, Cellular South, Cellcom, Centennial Cellular, Cincinnati Bell, Metro PCS, N-Telos, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, Verizon Wireless and Virgin Mobile USA.
An educational program of the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition, text4baby delivers timely health tips via text message to those who need it most. It is made possible through an unprecedented public-private partnership which includes the White House Office on Science and Technology Policy, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Voxiva, CTIA-The Wireless Foundation, Grey Healthcare Group and founding corporate sponsor Johnson & Johnson. Premier sponsors include WellPoint, Pfizer and CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield and wireless carriers are distributing text messages at no charge to recipients. Implementation partners include BabyCenter, Danya International, Syniverse Technologies, Keynote Systems and The George Washington University.
About the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition: The National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition (HMHB) is the only coalition of its kind which acts as a catalyst for change by creating partnerships among community groups, nonprofit organizations, professional associations, businesses and government agencies. The Coalition promotes optimal health for mothers and babies, and works to strengthen families and build healthy communities.
ABOUT UTMB: Established in 1891, Texas’ first academic health center comprises four health sciences schools, three institutes for advanced study, a research enterprise that includes one of only two national laboratories dedicated to the safe study of infectious threats to human health, and a health system offering a full range of primary and specialized medical services throughout Galveston County and the Texas Gulf Coast region. UTMB is a component of the University of Texas System.