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A new randomized clinical trial from Stanford University, in collaboration with CareMessage, just confirmed what many in public health have long suspected: Text messaging can be as effective as human counseling in driving sustained behavior change.
Over twelve months, midlife and older Latino/a adults participating in a customized, CareMessage-powered SMS program increased their walking by just under two hours per week. Those who got phone-based guidance from trained human counselors did about two minutes more than those who got an automated text reminder via CareMessage. Again, statistically insignificant.
Just like their human-nudged counterparts, the SMS participants maintained their weight, reduced sedentary time, and reported higher well-being. Nearly a quarter of them met national physical activity guidelines, matching results from human-led programs.
That’s a remarkable outcome—and a powerful validation of digital health equity in practice.
The promise of mobile health (mHealth) has always been reach and repeatability, i.e., delivering meaningful engagement at scale without sacrificing empathy or outcomes. What Stanford and CareMessage proved together is that evidence-based programs can be automated without being impersonal.
Finally
As a member of the CareMessage Technology Advisory Board, I’ve seen this firsthand. The work that Jeremy Wight and his team are leading today continues to build on the vision of cofounders Vineet Singhal and Cecilia Corral—using AI and text messaging to reach patients who might otherwise be left behind. What they’re building isn’t just smart technology; it’s compassionate infrastructure for public health.
This study proves that empathy and technology don’t have to be opposites—and that a simple, well-timed message can change lives at scale.
