BodiMojo Teen Health Blog – Teenage Nutrition, Fitness, Stress, Relationships & More

Sometimes it seems like teen texting is way out of control. But a new study has found a silver lining to the constant cyber chatter. It turns out that texting can help adolescent diabetes patients keep better tabs on their blood glucose levels and adhere more closely to their medication plans. In a pilot study, Nationwide Children’s Hospital endocrinologist Jennifer Dyer found that if she sent friendly reminders and supportive messages to her teen diabetes patients, they did a better job of managing their disease.

That kind of result is a big deal, because studies have shown that non-adherence to medication regimens is about four times higher among teens than among adults.

“This form of communication allows for real-time health management,” Dyer said in a press release about her findings.

Dyer’s in good company. Many health and nutrition experts are increasingly looking toward technology to help boost people’s adherence to medication regimens and to live healthier lifestyles. BodiMojo is part of that group; it facilitates teens’ ability to send supportive comments about health and wellness to friends or to themselves through emails or text messages.

We see a lot of value in the idea of using teen text messaging to get healthy messages across. After all, the average teen sends about 50 texts a day. And 75 percent of teen cell phone users have a cell phone plan with unlimited texting capabilities.

Makes sense to meet teens where they live—in a world where text messaging is at front and center—and to use that ever-present technology to remind and encourage them to make healthy choices.