Helping families keep their child's health appointments
Official title: Comparing Technological and Relational Approaches to Support Families After a Missed Well Child Visit
Funded at Wake Forest University Health Sciences · NIH-11057950 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at how to help families, especially those from minority and low-income backgrounds, who might miss important health check-ups for their kids, by comparing the use of text messages and community health workers to see which method works better to encourage them to attend these visits.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Wake Forest University Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Winston-Salem, United States) |
| Project start | September 22, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2024 |
| Award (this year) | $232,500 |
| NIH project number | 1R21MD019434-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11057950 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are families with children aged 0-11 who have missed scheduled well-child visits, particularly those from minority or low-income backgrounds.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who consistently attend their well-child visits or do not have barriers to accessing healthcare may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates ways to support families who miss well-child visits, which are crucial for children's health and development. It compares two approaches: using technology, like text messaging, and employing community health workers to engage families. The goal is to find effective and cost-efficient methods to encourage families, particularly from minority and low-income backgrounds, to attend these important health appointments. By analyzing the impact of these strategies over a year, the research aims to reduce disparities in healthcare access and improve children's health outcomes.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to improved attendance at well-child visits, enhancing children's health and reducing healthcare costs for families and the system.
How similar studies have gone: Previous pilot studies have shown that text messaging can improve attendance at well-child visits, indicating potential success for this research approach.
Where this research is happening
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Wake Forest University Health Sciences
Winston-Salem, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Debinski, Beata — Wake Forest University Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Debinski, Beata
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.