Robyn Whittaker*, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand Caroline Free*, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom Lorien Abroms*, George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, Washington DC, United States Michele Ybarra*, Center for Innovative Public Health Research (CiPHR), San Clemente CA, United States Track: Practice Presentation Topic: Mobile & Tablet Health Applications Presentation Type: Panel Submission Type: Panel Presentation Building: Joseph B. Martin Conference Center at Harvard Medical School Room: Auditorium Date: 2012-09-15 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM Last modified: 2012-09-12

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The use of text messaging for health information and health interventions, particularly targeting behavior modification, is becoming more common around the world. There is a slowly growing body of evidence for their effectiveness in some fields, such as supporting smoking cessation. However there is little published information on how effective text messaging programmes were developed. This panel brings together international academic and practical expertise on developing and testing text message health interventions. Panelists will discuss the underlying theories, design considerations and processes involved in developing their successful, and in some cases proven, healthy behavior change programmes. Dr Whittaker is a public health physician and mHealth researcher. She translated the proven STOMP smoking cessation text message intervention into a free national service in New Zealand, and has developed other interventions in depression prevention, alcohol misuse, and weight management. Dr Free is a general practitioner and researcher in primary care and health promotion. Dr Free was the PI and Dr Whittaker led the IT for the txt2stop trial team that demonstrated in a randomised controlled trial (RCT) that text message support for smoking cessation can double biochemically verified smoking cessation at six months. She has worked with the UK Dept of Health on developing a SMS based smoking cessation service. Dr Abroms’ research focuses on the application of communications technologies for smoking cessation and other health behaviours. She has developed and licensed a smoking cessation intervention in the U.S. called Text2quit that is currently being tested in an RCT and used in Quitlines in selected states. Dr Ybarra is a researcher in technology-related health issues, particularly for young people. She has developed a smoking cessation intervention for adult smokers in Ankara, Turkey (Cebiniz bırakın diyor) and refined it for young adult smokers (18-25 years) in the U.S. (Stop My Smoking (SMS) USA). These experts have come together to work collaboratively on the important lessons to be learned from their work. They will discuss some ‘in progress’ guidelines for others wishing to develop text messaging for health interventions.