title: Text2PreventCVD: protocol for a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis of text message-based interventions for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.
abstract: Text message interventions have been shown to be effective in prevention and management of several non-communicable disease risk factors. However, the extent to which their effects might vary in different participants and settings is uncertain. We aim to conduct a systematic review and individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials examining text message interventions aimed to prevent cardiovascular diseases (CVD) through modification of cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs).
  
  
  
  Systematic review and IPD meta-analysis will be conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analysis of IPD (PRISMA-IPD) guidelines. Electronic database of published studies (MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and Cochrane Library) and international trial registries will be searched to identify relevant randomised clinical trials. Authors of studies meeting the inclusion criteria will be invited to join the IPD meta-analysis group and contribute study data to the common database. The primary outcome will be the difference between intervention and control groups in blood pressure at 6-month follow-up. Key secondary outcomes include effects on lipid parameters, body mass index, smoking levels and self-reported quality of life. If sufficient data is available, we will also analyse blood pressure and other secondary outcomes at 12 months. IPD meta-analysis will be performed using a one-step approach and modelling data simultaneously while accounting for the clustering of the participants within studies. This study will use the existing data to assess the effectiveness of text message-based interventions on CVRFs, the consistency of any effects by participant subgroups and across different healthcare settings.
  
  
  
  Ethical approval was obtained for the individual studies by the trial investigators from relevant local ethics committees. This study will include anonymised data for secondary analysis and investigators will be asked to check that this is consistent with their existing approvals. Results will be disseminated via scientific forums including peer-reviewed publications and presentations at international conferences.
  
  
  
  CRD42016033236.
authors: The George Institute for Global Health, Sydney, Australia.|Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
authors: Clara K
authors: CK
authors: Chow
authors: The George Institute for Global Health, Sydney, Australia.|Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.|Ludwig-Maximillian Universitat, Munich, Germany.
authors: Sheikh Mohammed Shariful
authors: 0000-0001-7926-9368
authors: SM
authors: Islam
authors: Oxford University, Oxford, UK.
authors: Andrew
authors: A
authors: Farmer
authors: Oxford University, Oxford, UK.|University of Cape Town, South Africa.
authors: Kirsty
authors: K
authors: Bobrow
authors: The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.|Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors: Ralph
authors: R
authors: Maddision
authors: The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors: Robyn
authors: R
authors: Whittaker
authors: The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors: Leila Pfaeffli
authors: LP
authors: Dale
authors: Diabetes Research Group, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany.
authors: Andreas
authors: A
authors: Lechner
authors: Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK.|Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors: Louis
authors: L
authors: Niessen
authors: Simon Fraser University and St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors: Scott A
authors: SA
authors: Lear
authors: Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
authors: Zubin J
authors: ZJ
authors: Eapen
authors: The George Institute for Global Health, Sydney, Australia.|Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
authors: Karla
authors: K
authors: Santo
authors: The George Institute for Global Health, Sydney, Australia.
authors: Sandrine
authors: S
authors: Stepien
authors: The George Institute for Global Health, Sydney, Australia.|Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
authors: Julie
authors: J
authors: Redfern
authors: The George Institute for Global Health, Sydney, Australia.|Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
authors: Anthony
authors: A
authors: Rodgers
mesh_terms: D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D040421:Cell Phone; D006801:Humans; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D017010:Reminder Systems; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D012648:Self Care; D000078202:Systematic Reviews as Topic; D060145:Text Messaging; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic
keywords: Cardiovascular diseases; prevention; randomized controlled trials; short message service (SMS); text messages