New Innovation Case on THINK!: Text4baby

Despite decades of public health outreach and education, more than 500,000 babies are born prematurely and an estimated 28,000 children die before their first birthday each year in the U.S. Many factors cause these negative outcomes, including health care access, poverty, and negative health behaviors, but research supports that increasing knowledge around health can help people stay healthier.

Where can a pregnant woman find low-cost prenatal care in her area? How should she position a car seatbelt to best protect herself and her baby? Should she get a flu shot? During pregnancy, expectant mothers can have lots of questions…

To help more pregnant women and new moms get information about caring for their health and giving their babies the best possible start in life, the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition (HMHB) – in collaboration with mobile health service provider Voxiva – launched Text4baby, the first free health text messaging service in the U.S. Text4baby supports moms by providing accurate, text-length health information and resources in a format that is personal and timely, using a channel she knows and uses.