Greatcall Jitterbug Health Tips Service

From the AHA's Go Red for Women Campaign

"Jitterbug Health Tips" is a free daily text message service from the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women campaign. You have to call up Jitterbug customer support to activate both the Simple Text text message service and then sign up for the health tips.(Note: You don't need to own the Red Jitterbug to get this service.)

Simple Text messages on the Jitterbug phone normally cost 10 cents each to both send and receive. The health tips are free, however.

When Do They Arrive?

My tips arrive at 3:04 pm on the East coast. This is kind of a funny time. I expected them in the morning or evening. I did call to activate the service in the afternoon one day, but that's probably not the reason.

Sample Tips

Here are the first three tips I received

Health Tip #1

Support local restaurants who take steps to be healthy like going smoke-free and offering heart-healthy menu items.

This was interesting because I had noticed a diner in my town which said they used only locally grown food which I thought was quite amazing for what's usually a greasy spoon. Of course, it could also end up being overpriced, but I had made a note of it. Receiving this tip encouraged me to try the place out soon.

Health Tip #2

Choose to wear RED in support. For ideas, visit shopheart.org

This was disappointing, because it was basically just an advertisement to go buy something, even though in a good cause.

Health Tip #3

Be a community advocate for heart health. Support your local heart walk and Go Red activities.

Okay, so there is a health tip here in asking you to support your local heart walks. Still I would have preferred a more general tip about going on walks rather than the specific Go Red heart walks.

So it seems that the health tips are more focused on promoting the Go Red for Women campaign than they are on personal health tips.

In their defense, I'm guessing that research shows that people are more likely to continue doing healthy things like walking if they join a group, so there's some justification there. Still they could have said something like join a walking group like the local heartwalk group.

Tips any Good?

I'm going to keep an open mind about the value of the Jitterbug Health Tips service. The tips are useful, but they're a little cluttered by the promotional stuff. However, these were just the first three tips, so I'll wait and see.

Check out the Go Red Jitterbug phone and see for yourself.