Outcomes of a Caregiver-Focused Short Message Service (SMS) Intervention to Reduce Intake of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages in Rural Caregivers and Adolescents

This study examined enrollment, retention, engagement, and behavior changes from a caregiver short message service (SMS) component of a larger school-based sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) reduction intervention. Over 22 weeks, caregivers of seventh graders in 10 Appalachian middle schools received a two-way SMS Baseline Assessment and four monthly follow-up assessments to report their and their child’s SSB intake and select a personalized strategy topic. Between assessments, caregivers received two weekly one-way messages: one information or infographic message and one strategy message. Of 1873 caregivers, 542 (29%) enrolled by completing the SMS Baseline Assessment. Three-quarters completed Assessments 2–5, with 84% retained at Assessment 5. Reminders, used to encourage adherence, improved completion by 19–40%, with 18–33% completing after the first two reminders. Most caregivers (72–93%) selected a personalized strategy and an average of 28% viewed infographic messages. Between Baseline and Assessment 5, daily SSB intake frequency significantly (p < 0.01) declined for caregivers (−0.32 (0.03), effect size (ES) = 0.51) and children (−0.26 (0.01), ES = 0.53). Effect sizes increased when limited to participants who consumed SSB twice or more per week (caregivers ES = 0.65, children ES = 0.67). Findings indicate that an SMS-delivered intervention is promising for engaging rural caregivers of middle school students and improving SSB behaviors.