Text Messaging and Atopic Dermatitis

November 29, 2012 updated by: Amy Paller, Northwestern University

The Use of Text Messages to Improve Adherence to Health Maintenance Behaviors in Adolescents With Atopic Dermatitis

Atopic dermatitis is a common problem faced by patients of all ages and backgrounds. Treatment regimens and specific therapies may be time consuming and multiple studies have documented a parallel decrease in compliance as time after an office visit increases. The adolescent population is an extremely challenging sub-group of patients in terms of complying with a treatment regimen. Not only are they striving for independence and thus lacking supervision of a regimen by a parent, but their complex thinking skills are immature, leading to forgetful behavior. By introducing a reminder system for these vulnerable patients that is easily incorporated into their daily lives, the investigators propose that patients will have better compliance at applying their medication and thus improving their atopic dermatitis. Text-messaging via cell phones has become very popular among teenagers and adults and provides a non-obtrusive method of sending a treatment reminder.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

We propose to conduct a randomized, controlled 6-week trial to evaluate the impact of a text message-based reminder program on adherence to health maintenance behaviors among adolescents diagnosed with Atopic Dermatitis. After obtaining informed consent, subjects will be randomized into either an intervention or control group. Subjects in the intervention group will receive a daily text message with a tailored message regarding atopic dermatitis, while control group subjects will receive a weekly text message with information on local weather, sport or news without any reference to atopic dermatitis. Of note, the decision to send a weekly text message to the control group reflects the expectation that a message will be sent, although the frequency and content of the message will not be revealed.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

26

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Illinois
      • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60614
        • Children's Memorial Hospital
      • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60611
        • Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of Dermatology

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

10 years to 17 years (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 10-17 inclusive
  • Capable of giving informed consent/assent. Of note, all subjects will sign an assent form and parents will sign a parent consent form.
  • Diagnosed with Atopic Dermatitis by a physician (self report)
  • IGA score fo 2 or greater
  • Currently using at least one prescribed topical therapy for atopic dermatitis
  • Have a mobile phone capable of receiving text messages
  • Able to retrieve text messages from mobile phone
  • Able to adhere to study visit schedule and other protocol requirements.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Younger than 10 years of age or 18 years and older at the time of enrollment
  • No diagnosis of atopic dermatitis by a physician
  • IGA score of 0 or 1
  • Currently on no prescribed topical treatment for atopic dermatitis
  • UV therapy or climatotherapy is a part of treatment for atopic dermatitis
  • Does not have a mobile phone capable of receiving text messages
  • Unable to retrieve text message
  • Non-English speaking individuals (text messages are in English)

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Intervention group
Subjects will receive daily text message reminder about their treatment for atopic dermatitis during the 6 weeks of the study.
Procedure: Text message to cell phone
Subjects will receive a daily text message reminder about their treatment for atopic dermatitis during the 6 weeks of the study
No Intervention: Control Group
Subjects will receive a weekly text message reminder about pop-culture, sports or weather.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in self reported medication adherence
Time Frame: 6 weeks
We will assess the difference in number of missed doses of topical medication in the control group (weekly unrelated text message) and the intervention group (daily eczema-related text message group). All subjects will record missed doses via calendars (diaries). Those in the intervention group will be able to text on a weekly basis the number of days they forgot their medication that week.
6 weeks
Change in quality of life
Time Frame: 6 weeks
6 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Change in AD knowledge score
Time Frame: 6 weeks
6 weeks
Change in health maintenance behaviors
Time Frame: 6 weeks
6 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Northwestern University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

October 1, 2010

Primary Completion (Actual)

June 1, 2012

Study Completion (Actual)

June 1, 2012

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

October 4, 2010

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 5, 2010

First Posted (Estimate)

October 7, 2010

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

December 3, 2012

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 29, 2012

Last Verified

November 1, 2012

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • STU29486

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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