Table 4.

Exemplar quotations from participants describing how they perceived the program to be useful.

Category	Exemplar
Convenient and ongoing behavior change support	“I like that I don’t have to go to the clinic to get help for physical activity because I live far.”a “The doctor will tell me (during a clinic visit) to walk, but then we won’t discuss it again until the next visit. I like that the messages constantly remind me.”a “If you are not home or you cannot pick up the call, the text message is saved and you can read it any time.”a
Self-monitoring	“Having a pedometer keeps you from lying to yourself that you did walk enough.”a “I found out that on Saturdays, I walk the most—that is because I go to parties and dance a lot.”a “I try to see which days I had the most steps. I want to see what kinds of things I did that day that made me get a lot of steps. I noticed that on the weekends, I don’t walk that much.”b
Goal setting	“(Setting a goal) is a good idea because it tells me what I need to work towards.”b “I like having goals because they motivate me to walk more. Without goals, I don’t think I would walk as much as I do now.”a “The 10,000 steps goal is too much. I have to go walk, then rest, then walk, then rest. My back and my legs hurt because of the arthritis.”a
Self-instruction	“When I don’t have enough steps, I tell myself that I need to keep walking more.”a “When I don’t walk enough that day, I tell myself that I need to walk more the next day.”a “I ask myself, ‘Do I want to walk more or do I want to take insulin?’”b
Reporting and feedback	“I like reporting because it helps me to keep track of how I am doing. Each week, I try to improve so that I will give a higher number the next time.”a “It’s like someone grading you, like you did good on your test.”b “I liked that it was so simple to reply, just one number. I didn’t have to type out a long response. Even if you don’t have time, you can quickly type one number.”a
Instrumental support	“(My husband) constantly asks me, ‘Did you walk already? If you haven’t, let’s eat dinner and then go.’ He walks with me, and I forget that I am exercising because we begin talking.”a “(My husband) helps me around the house so that I have time to exercise… He tells me that he will watch our baby so that I could go walk with my sister… I feel like our relationship has improved.”a “(My husband) parks his car very far so that we can walk more. He takes me to go walking because he says the text messages told him to.”a
Emotional support	“I like that someone is concerned and cares and takes the time to check on me. It gives me more motivation.”b “I am thankful that someone was interested in my health. I have put more effort into walking more.”a “The messages motivate me. I don’t have family so knowing that someone cares about me makes me feel special.”b
Informational support	“I didn’t exactly know why I had to exercise. I didn’t know it was beneficial for my health.”b “Before (participating in this program), I didn’t know how many steps I needed to walk each day.”b “My mom says, ‘You know the drill. I am going to call later to see how much you walked. Even if you don’t feel like it, just get up and go around the school a few times. Just do something, and then you feel like doing more.’”a

^aQuotation from a participant in the phone messaging + social support from family members and friends (PM+FF) arm.

^bQuotation from a participant in the phone messaging (PM) arm.