SMS4Dads — Early Years Starter Kit

Overview

SMS4Dads helps dads and dads-to-be across Australia understand and connect with their baby and partner by providing relevant information and resources straight to their phones. These messages, developed by a team of pediatricians, midwives, researchers, and specialist health workers, focus on the baby’s health and development from pregnancy through the baby’s first birthday.

The SMS-based tool also provides resources to support fathers’ well-being. The tool is available free of charge and includes customized, culturally-appropriate messages for fathers who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.

Active since 2015

Developer The University of Newcastle

How it works

SMS4Dads supports fathers to bond with and care for their baby, work as a team with their partner, and look after their own mental health.

Users receive short, user-tested messages three days a week related to the stage of the pregnancy or the age of the baby. These include:

tips and encouragement about their role and influence as a father,

health related and developmental information related to looking after the baby

messages about being mindful of their own health and ways to support their partner.

Reach and relevance

Users
5,000
As of January 2023.
Country of origin
- Australia
Active countries
The tool is available across Australia. It has also been piloted in Kenya, Colombia and Spain.
Language
Dissemination strategy
The tool leverages social media platforms through targeted ads on Facebook and Instagram, influencer marketing, and planned posts on its own and its partners’ social media handles to target fathers and their partners. A dedicated marketing budget supports the creation of radio advertisements to reach fathers in rural areas. In addition, SMS4Dads also partners with health centers where providers are briefed about the tool and given informative pamphlets for distribution. Interested users are asked to fill out an onboarding survey with basic information and begin to receive brief messages three times a week.

Technology and access

Users require a basic mobile phone with cellular service to receive messages from SMS4Dads.

Connectivity requirements
- Cellular service
Device types
- Basic mobile/Feature phone
Cost model
- Free The tool is available at no charge to the user.

Measurement

SMS4Dads collects user engagement data including how long users were part of the program (enrolment to exit) and how many users accessed links to further information or professional help. The responses to the Mood Checker messages are also recorded. Acceptability surveys and exit surveys are also administered and recorded.

SMS4Dads carries out user research to tailor-make messages for various groups. In addition, the tool has also conducted research on user engagement across groups, feasibility studies, and process evaluations. Key research questions addressed by these studies include variation in engagement across urban and rural areas, improving quality of partner support, and acceptability of the tool across the target population. The Telethon Kids Institute is carrying out an evaluation of the program. A list of published research studies on SMS4Dads can be found here.

Partnerships

In 2021, SMS4Dads received federal government funding from the Australian Department of Health to scale-up nationally. Other partners include PANDA (Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia) and Red Nose who provide mental health and grief management services respectively.

SMS4Dads has also partnered with National Rural Health Alliance and Indigenous HealthInfoNet to expand their support to fathers in rural and remote areas and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men. The Telethon Kids Institute is the evaluation partner of the tool.

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