FluSAFE: Flu SMS Alerts to Freeze Exposure



Status:Recruiting
Conditions:Influenza, Pulmonary
Therapuetic Areas:Immunology / Infectious Diseases, Pulmonary / Respiratory Diseases
Healthy:No
Age Range:Any
Updated:2/2/2019
Start Date:October 6, 2017
End Date:June 2020
Contact:Melissa Stockwell, MD, MPH
Email:mss2112@columbia.edu
Phone:212-342-5732

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Influenza infection results in an estimated 31 million outpatient visits, 55,000 to 974,200
hospitalizations, and 3,000 to 49,000 deaths. Membership in household in which someone else
has influenza is the major risk factor for contracting influenza. The household secondary
attack rate (SAR) is as high as 19% based on laboratory-confirmed influenza and 30% based on
symptoms. Non-pharmaceutical preventive measures, including education, may play a role in
decreasing transmission, but are only effective if started within 36 hours of symptom onset
in index cases. Yet, most interventions are delayed because they are not initiated until care
is sought. The investigators have demonstrated in one primarily Latino, urban community
sample, that text messaging can be used to rapidly identify community members with
influenza-like illness (ILI) early in an illness. This early identification would enable
implementation of an educational intervention in the optimal time frame to reduce influenza
transmission. Providing education within a text message is a proven successful strategy to
influence behavior. Text messaging itself is scalable, low-cost, and can be used in low
literacy populations. However, using text-message based surveillance to trigger a real-time
text-message behavioral educational intervention to decrease household influenza transmission
has not been assessed.

The study will enroll approximately 400 households with ≥1 child recruited from four
contiguous communities in New York City. Households will be randomized, stratified by
community 1:1 to receive surveillance-only (no text message education) vs. surveillance plus
text message educational intervention. For symptom surveillance, households in both arms will
receive text messages 3x/week during each influenza season and report if someone in the
household has ILI symptoms. For those in the educational intervention arm, when an ILI/acute
respiratory infections (ARI) is reported, a series of educational text messages will be sent
with information to decrease household transmission.

Inclusion Criteria:

- ≥3 persons per household

- At least one person who is less than 18 years old

- English or Spanish speaking

- Household reporter has cell phone with text messaging capabilities

- Household reporter willing to use text messages to report

- Reside within study neighborhoods in New York City

Exclusion Criteria

- Intention to move away from New York City area in <12 months

- Language other than English or Spanish
We found this trial at
1
site
630 W 168th St
New York, New York
212-305-2862
Principal Investigator: Melissa Stockwell, MD MPH
Phone: 212-342-5732
Columbia University Medical Center Situated on a 20-acre campus in Northern Manhattan and accounting for...
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mi
from
New York, NY
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