The researchers at the University of North Carolina articulate that cell phone text messaging could be used to reduce kids' chances of becoming fat later in life. Their study suggests that helping kids self monitor their calorie intake and modify it themselves could be important for the long-term success of weight loss and weight control.

Dr Jennifer Shapiro, assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina and principal investigator of the new study said, "Mobile phone text messaging is something that's very familiar to most children now, since they've grown up with it. By using this technology, we were hoping to make self-monitoring seem more like fun to them and less like work."

The study undertaken by university’s school of medicine at UNC Hospitals, monitored a total of 58 children aged 5 to 13. They were asked to live healthier lives by reducing the amount of time they spent watching television or using the computer, increasing their exercise levels to be monitored by pedometers each child was given and controlling the number of sugary drinks they consumed every day.

 The children were then divided into three groups with the first one told to send the research team two text messages a day to report their progress on meeting the goals set, the second was asked to keep a diary to record their achievements while the third was not asked to keep any record at all.

The text messaging and paper diary groups answered three questions each day: (1) what was the number on your pedometer today? (2) how many sugar-sweetened beverages did you drink today?; and (3) how many minutes of screen time did you have today?

In the text messaging group, each family was given a cell phone to be used only for study-related messages. They were asked to send two messages per day answering the three questions with one from the parent and one from the child. Every message received an immediate, automated feedback on the sender’s message.

The researchers found that the text messaging group fared the best with only 28 % of the children failing to stick with their health and fitness regime as compared to 61 % of the diary group. Half of those who kept no record dropped out of the programme.

“Self-monitoring of calorie intake and expenditure and of body weight is extremely important for the long-term success of weight loss and weight control,” said Dr Shapiro. "Unfortunately, both children and adults who are trying to lose weight often do not adhere to self-monitoring. They tend to be good about it at the start of a weight-loss effort, but then their adherence drops off over time."

The study is published in the November/December 2008 issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.