--- description: Text messages may be a simple way doctor's offices can ensure their young patients are adequately protected against the flu. title: Text Messages Ensure Kids Get Full Flu Vaccine image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7854909363bfce61/6987622d8e06019066457d9f/flu-influenza.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Health](/section/health/) ## Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Infectious Disease](/tag/infectious-disease/) ## Infectious Disease Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Text Messages Ensure Kids Get Full Flu Vaccine by [Alexandra Sifferlin](/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 29, 2014 4:12 PM CUT  Flu vaccines. File photo dated 05/10/09 of a nurse preparing to give a patient a shot from a hypodermic needle, as pregnant women are among those being urged to get the flu vaccine in a major public health drive. Issue date: Monday October 6, 2014\. People with existing health conditions and parents of young children are also being targeted by medics seeking to encourage widespread immunisation against the illness ahead of the winter. See PA story HEALTH Flu. Photo credit should read: David Cheskin/PA Wire URN:21112040 Flu vaccines. File photo dated 05/10/09 of a nurse preparing to give a patient a shot from a hypodermic needle, as pregnant women are among those being urged to get the flu vaccine in a major public health drive. Issue date: Monday October 6, 2014\. People with existing health conditions and parents of young children are also being targeted by medics seeking to encourage widespread immunisation against the illness ahead of the winter. See PA story HEALTH Flu. Photo credit should read: David Cheskin/PA Wire URN:21112040David Cheskin—PA Wire/AP by [Alexandra Sifferlin](/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 29, 2014 4:12 PM CUT Text messages may be a simple way doctor’s offices can ensure their young patients are adequately protected against the flu. [In a new study](http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2014/12/23/peds.2014-2475.abstract "undefined") from Mailman School of Public Health and Columbia University Medical Center, researchers looked at 660 children between 6 months through 8 years old. Kids in that age range require two doses of the influenza vaccine. The first dose primes the immune system, and the second dose offers immune protection. Kids who do not get both doses, which are given at least 28 days apart, are not fully protected. However, it can be hard for families to bring in their children twice for vaccination. The researchers developed a new strategy of sending educational text message reminders for the second dose. They split the participants into three groups. One group received an educational text message (the text included info on why the second dose is important), one group received a conventional reminder text message and the last group received a written reminder only. The results, published in the journal _Pediatrics_, show that the kids whose families received the educational text message were much more likely to get their second dose at 72.7%. In comparison, 66.7% of kids in the conventional text group got their second flu shot, and 57.1% of kids in the written reminder group got theirs. Families viewed the text messages as helpful, and a sign that someone cared. Nearly 61% of parents said the texts were either the primary reason or part of the reason they brought their children in for the second dose, and slightly over 70% said it was one of the reasons they brought their kids in sooner. If text messages really are more successful than more traditional medical reminders, it might be time for wider adoption. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3648483/text-messages-flu-vaccine/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3648483/text-messages-flu-vaccine/"},"headline":"Text Messages Ensure Kids Get Full Flu Vaccine","datePublished":"2014-12-29T16:12:17.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T03:09:43.926Z","description":"Text messages may be a simple way doctor's offices can ensure their young patients are adequately protected against the flu.","url":"https://time.com/3648483/text-messages-flu-vaccine/","keywords":["Infectious Disease","texting","influenza","flu vaccine","vaccine","flu shot","shot"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7854909363bfce61/6987622d8e06019066457d9f/flu-influenza.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alexandra Sifferlin","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7854909363bfce61/6987622d8e06019066457d9f/flu-influenza.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Flu vaccines","caption":"Flu vaccines","creditText":"David Cheskin—PA Wire/AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/infectious-disease/","name":"Infectious Disease"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3648483/text-messages-flu-vaccine/","name":"Text Messages Ensure Kids Get Full Flu Vaccine"}}]}] ```