In the past few years, mobile health or “mHealth” has tried to connect doctors and patients through portable technology, making wellness just a few clicks away. Now, Medical News Today reports that mHealth may help keep asthma at bay.

Researchers from Georgia Institute of Technology conducted a study on 30 asthmatic children aged 10 to 17 who were separated into three groups: the first group did not receive any asthma-related text messages; the second received messages every other day; and the last group received asthma-related messages once every day. The trial went on for four months.

The results showed that the kids responded to the texts 87 percent of the time within an average time frame of 22 minutes. Those who received one message a day showed improvement in their condition after follow-ups with their physicians.

Study leader Rose Arriaga notes, “It appears that text messages acted as an implicit reminder for patients to take their medicine and by the end of the study, the kids were more in tune with their illness… The results indicate that both awareness and knowledge are crucial to individuals engaging in proactive behavior to improve their condition.”

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