Impact of text message reminders on attendance at healthy marriage and relationship education workshops

Abstract

AbstractObjectiveThis study examined the impacts of different types of text message reminders on couples' attendance at healthy marriage and relationship education (HMRE) workshops.BackgroundRegular attendance is often a challenge for couples participating in HMRE workshops. Studies suggest that nudges can increase attendance at appointments, but there has been little research on their application to family support programs.MethodWe conducted a Bayesian adaptive randomized controlled trial involving 1,742 couples in Florida. We assigned couples to either a control group that received no reminders or one of several treatment groups that received different types of reminders. We compared attendance across groups to estimate impacts of the messages on couples' initial and continued attendance.ResultsSimple reminders that provided only the date and time of the first session increased couples' initial session attendance by 12% compared with the control group. None of the reminders increased continued attendance among couples who attended the first session.ConclusionSimple reminders worked best for increasing initial attendance compared with messages with enhanced content, such as motivational messages, graphics, or peer testimonials. Couples that attended the first session had similarly high rates of continued session attendance regardless of the reminders.ImplicationsText message reminders show potential as a tool for boosting initial attendance at voluntary family support programs.