Imagine getting a text on your cell phone from your virtual health coach while you are shopping, at the movies or even at the beach. The text encourages you to take the stairs, asks if you drank eight glasses of water that day or notifies you that weather with heavy particulates is moving your way, which might trigger your asthma.

This isn’t the future. This is now.

The new, innovative Healthy Families program is aimed at improving individual self-care and prevention by increasing one’s knowledge of healthy lifestyle choices. The program, which is a partnership between Driscoll Children’s Health Plan and the Dallas-based Healthimo company, is providing South Texas families with ongoing, personalized, free health information through the use of texting technology.

“Just imagine what you would get if you combined the social networking of Facebook with the way Amazon understands your unique needs, and merge that with the advice you get from your family doctor,” said Dr. Stephen Ponder, co-creator and leader of the initiative, which is funded by a federal grant.

Ponder, a pediatric endocrinologist at Driscoll Children’s Hospital and lifelong type I diabetic, says the “smart” technology builds a personal profile based on a specific cell phone number.

“The system gets to know you and your family through a series of question-and-answer texts, and learns what type of information you need, when you need it, to keep your family healthy,” Ponder said.

Fitness and overall wellness are also addressed. Registrants have the ability to include personal goals. Texts will prompt registrants to see if they ran or walked each day, and will remind them of their personal goals, such as losing five pounds in a month.

“Information availability and accessibility is key in a day and age of immediate technology,” Ponder said.

Health and economic implications are far reaching. For example, texts alerting asthmatic individuals of bad weather could prevent an expensive and lengthy trip to the emergency room. Better health choices could also affect long-term health by impacting the onset of chronic and deadly diseases.

In addition, the program is ideal for health-conscious families in rural communities who have a tougher time accessing healthy programs or advice, according to Ponder.

“No one else in the country is doing this: combining cutting-edge technology with self-care to create better outcomes,” he said.

Patients and their families can enroll on the Internet, with a cell phone or by postcard. To date, more than 3,000 people have registered in the free program.

“Changing your lifestyle to live healthier can seem overwhelming, but making smaller, better choices on a daily basis breaks it down and makes it managable for young and old, healthy and not-so-healthy,” Ponder said. “The real secret of this program is its convenience. Education, support and encouragement reach to an end user wherever he or she is.

“Technology is the wave of the future, and we’re using it to deliver healthy messages – especially to the young, who could benefit most from making more informed and healthy lifestyle choices over a lifetime.

“Sharing of this type of healthy information has the ability to impact the lives of many generations to come.”

Healthy Families ... Sign Up! It’s free, easy, confidential and fun!

To register or find more information: Text the word, “Healthy,” to 25827.