Text Messages Curb the Lasting Effects of Malnutrition in Malawi

CHIKWAWA, Malawi — Community health-care worker Stephane January had never used a cell phone before a text message-based nutrition-monitoring program was introduced to his rural Malawian community's district in September 2012. Now, January spends every Thursday sitting outside the Makwira Health Center in Chikwawa, punching children's measurements into simple messages that are sent to a central hospital in the country's capital of Lilongwe.

Each text message is formatted identically, beginning with "GM" for growth monitoring, and followed by a string of numbers representing the child's identification number, date of birth, weight, height and arm circumference. Read more...