Background: Hypertension rates are increasing in India, and prior research has not explored the perception of using mobile based SMS among urban hypertensive individuals living in slum settings in India.
Objective: To explore the perception of receiving SMS based health messages among hypertensive individuals in urban slums.
Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted during the period of December 2013 in an urban slum setting of South Delhi, New Delhi, India. Eligible study participants included: 45 individuals aged 30 years and above, with confirmed diagnosis of high blood pressure, owned a mobile phone/landline and were willing to participate.
Results: Results of our study showed participants (n= 45) had an average age of 48 years (SD = 12), mostly female (64%, n= 29), and currently married (80%, n= 36). Their most common perceived hypertension risk factors included: worry/anxiety/stress (84%, n= 38), and high fat diet (68%, n= 30). Mobile calls were the most preferred mode of receiving lifestyle counseling among study participants (71%, n= 32). Majority preferred to receive counseling in Hindi language (67%, n= 30), and more than half were willing to pay for these services (60%, n= 27).
Conclusion: Our findings suggest the need for innovations that utilize basic phone platforms, mobile calling feature, and language tailored interventions.
Keywords: SMS; hypertension; lifestyle; mobile phone; urban poor.