Booster or reinforcement messages

Flexible activity

Evidence Review:

Youth socioemotional wellbeing: Evidence review

Core Component:

Building motivation and monitoring behavioural change

Booster or reinforcement messages involve delivery of message(s) to program participants that reinforce the program target or goal relevant to a behavioural or attitudinal change. In this activity, program facilitators will deliver a message or series of messages to program participants that reiterate the targeted goal of the program or activity.

Booster or reinforcement messages can provide participants with ongoing support and encouragement to continue with an assigned activity or behaviour. It can simulate continuous contact with a program facilitator and engagement with the program itself. This can be particularly beneficial where a program is seeking to remotely instil and motivate a behavioural change, or sustain a behavioural change beyond an initial in-person program delivery component.

How can it be implemented?

Booster or reinforcement messages can be delivered in a number of ways.

Remotely, via phone, text or online:

Most commonly, booster or reinforcement messages are delivered remotely.
This is a convenient way to maintain contact and engagement with program participants either beyond an initial in-person program component, or where the program is itself delivered remotely.
Text messages, messages via an online platform, or phone calls can be used to send a message that reinforces program content and aims.

In-person:

Program facilitators can deliver booster or reinforcement messages to participants in-person.

Personalised:

Booster or reinforcement messages can be tailored to the individual program participant.
This requires either a tracking or monitoring flexible activity, or a feedback flexible activity to precede and inform the booster message.

Generic/universal:

Booster or reinforcement messages can be delivered to an entire program cohort.
Where the messages are generic or universal, they can reiterate program content and aims already relayed to program participants, or impart a general message of encouragement to the participants.

Who is the target group?

This flexible activity has been implemented with a number of different target groups. Key characteristics include:

Sexually active female adolescents aged 13-20
14-18 year old young people with a score of above diagnostic cut-point on the Modified Version of the Fagerstrom Tolerance Questionnaire (Prokhorov, Pallonen, Fava, Ding & Niaura 1996), a nicotine dependence screening measure.
Young adults aged 18-24 attending adult education centres

What programs conduct this activity?

In the REAL Girls program, participants reconnect via follow-up events and booster treatments.
In No program name: text intervention, tailored and interactive booster text messages are delivered to program participants. If participants reply beyond a defined message limit, they receive a generic message reminding them that additional booster messages of support are available.
In No program name: web-based tailored intervention for reducing cannabis use, 16 reinforcement messages are sent via an online platform.

What else should I consider?

If online or video interventions are going to be implemented, service providers and participants will require access to devices and/or software to view and engage with the content.