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Item refines Peer-reviewed Added

Stroke prevention texts raised cardiovascular check-ups, an online course did not

In an Australian trial of 941 adults aged 45 and over, self-reported visits for cardiovascular risk assessment were 41.3% in the text message arm as compared to 29.0% in control.

The Love Your Brain trial randomised 941 Australians aged 45 and over, with no prior cardiovascular event, to an online course, text messages or control. At 12 weeks, 41.3% in the text message arm reported a visit for cardiovascular risk assessment, as compared to 29.0% in control. The online course arm was 31.2%, and stroke knowledge rose in both intervention arms, although medication adherence and other behaviours did not differ.

Why it is interesting: A direct comparison of two information channels, where the lighter prompt moved behaviour and the fuller course did not.

Source
International Journal of Stroke, 22 September 2026
Paper
Cardiovascular risk management through a community-based digital health stroke education platform (Love Your Brain): a multi-arm randomized controlled trial
Authors
Kilkenny MF, Burns C, Freak-Poli R, Purvis T, Olaiya MT, Dalli LL et al.
DOI
10.1177/17474930261494297
Type
Peer-reviewed article
Design
Single-blinded three-arm randomised controlled trial, n=941 Australians aged 45+ without prior cardiovascular events, Feb-Sep 2025, 12-week follow-up
Verdict
Refines prior evidence
Driver
Changing behaviour at scale
Free full text
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