mHealth

The use of mobile phones as a vehicle for health communication has the potential to overcome several of the barriers encountered in the use of other technologies. Mobile phone use has grown dramatically since introduction of the first devices in the 1980s, and mobile devices are increasingly becoming the global, interactive platform to reach and engage people on a continuous basis. In the United States, cell phone penetration is more than 90 percent, and the use of cell phones for text messaging is growing faster than two-way calling. About one in four households do not have a landline, relying solely on cell phones for telecommunications. With more than one trillion short message service (SMS) messages sent in the United States annually, SMS applications on mobile phones are a popular means of engaging and communicating with individual users (CTIA U.S. Wireless Quick Facts). Particularly striking is the finding that, in just one year, the percentage of cell phone owners sending or receiving text messages increased from 65 percent (April 2009) to 72 percent (May 2010) (Smith 2010). Minorities and younger people are also increasing their cell phone ownership and text messaging use at particularly fast rates (Smith, Aaron. Mobile Access 2010. Washington, DC: Pew Internet & American Life Project, July 7, 2010).