Abstract
Despite the effectiveness of some school-based programs to prevent teen dating violence, the burden it puts on schools and teachers presents a unique challenge. A simple, low-cost alternative is a text message campaign. Data suggest that most adolescents have access to a mobile phone, and texting is the leading form of social interaction. The current qualitative study examined the design and feasibility of a 6-week healthy relationships campaign, and a text message intervention designed to reduce teen dating violence and promote healthy relationships. Twenty-four adolescents participated in three focus groups for the first round of text messages (‘pilot project’), with another twenty-two adolescents texting their feedback after the campaign went live to the public (‘initial implementation project’). Overall, participants reported that the campaign was helpful in acquiring new knowledge and maintaining healthy relationships. They also found it more engaging than other means of intervention, such as brochures or social media applications.
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This work would not have been possible without the permissions and assistance of the schools and school districts.
Funding
This study was funded by Texas Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) Program (Award Number 094092602.2.9-Pass 2) for Advancing Health Promotion through Social Media. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of DSRIP.
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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
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This article does not contain any studies with animals performed by any of the authors.
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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
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Guillot-Wright, S.P., Lu, Y., Torres, E.D. et al. Design and Feasibility of a School-Based Text Message Campaign to Promote Healthy Relationships. School Mental Health 10, 428–436 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-018-9255-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-018-9255-6