Text message reminders effectively promote receipt of a second dose of influenza vaccine among children, according to a study published in Pediatrics. Melissa S. Stockwell, MD, MPH, and colleagues compared the effectiveness of text message reminders with embedded interactive educational information (intervention) versus usual care on the receipt and timeliness of the second dose of the influenza vaccine in a trial conducted during the 2017-2018 and 2018- 2019 influenza seasons among 50 pediatric primary care offices across 24 states. The study team randomized 2,086 caregiver-child dyads of children aged 6 months to 8 years in need of a second influenza vaccine to intervention versus usual care. Children in the intervention group were more likely to receive a second dose by the end of the season (83.8% vs 80.9%; adjusted risk difference, 3.8%) and by day 42 (62.4% vs 55.7%; adjusted risk difference, 8.3%).
