ITTO: Text Message a Day Keeps Doctor Away

The crossroads of public health and technology have produced many innovations, but probably none as simple or powerful as the humble text message, which spans the globe and improves health care in a variety of ways.

Smartphones' prevalence and portability provide an effective public health vehicle for isolated and impoverished populations to decrease epidemics and promote overall good health. Current estimates reveal there now are over 5 billion mobile phone subscribers and over 70 percent of them reside in low- and middle-income countries, where many text-based health programs are being developed, and are gaining adoption in the U.S.

Text To Change, a non-profit organization in Africa, has been using mobile technology for health education since 2008. TTC uses text messages, or SMS, in its educational programs targeting health issues like HIV and AIDS, malaria, and reproductive health in Uganda, Kenya and Namibia.