scholarly journals Sources of information and the use of mobile applications for health and parenting information during pregnancy: Implications for health promotion

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 146045822110431
Author(s):  
Limin Buchanan ◽  
Emi Anderson ◽  
Huilan Xu MBiostat ◽  
Philayrath Phongsavan ◽  
Chris Rissel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Smart Devices ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Telephone Surveys ◽  
Randomised Controlled ◽  
Willingness To Use

This study aims to examine the characteristics of pregnant women who used and intended to use mobile applications (apps) for health and parenting information. We used data from a randomised controlled trial, Communicating Healthy Beginnings Advice by Telephone (CHAT), conducted in Australia. Telephone surveys were conducted in 2017 to collect information on women’s demographic characteristics, sources of health and parenting information and willingness to use mobile apps. Multiple logistic regression was used to examine the associations of women’s socio-demographic backgrounds, their mobile apps usage and their willingness to use such apps. Data included 1155 pregnant women in their third trimester. Women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and with lower income appeared to have lower uptake of mobile apps despite high ownership of smart devices. Development of evidence-based and culturally-adapted mobile apps represent an important opportunity for healthcare providers to optimise maternal and birth outcomes.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of a digital health intervention with a smartband and counselling App in gestational weight gain and physical activity in pregnant women with obesity (PAS & PES study): a randomised controlled trial (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Gonzalez-Plaza ◽  
Jordi Bellart ◽  
Ángela Arranz ◽  
Leila Luján-Barroso ◽  
Esther Crespo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Randomised Controlled Trial ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Perinatal Outcomes ◽  
Gestational Weight ◽  
Randomised Controlled ◽  
Health Counselling

BACKGROUND Obesity during pregnancy is a public health problem in our society. Pregnant women with obesity with excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) present a higher probability of presenting maternal and perinatal complications. The use of mobile Apps and a wristband during pregnancy may contribute to promoting healthy lifestyles and, thus, improving maternal and neonatal health. OBJECTIVE The objectives were to evaluate the effectiveness of the use of a smartband and an App with health counselling together with virtual support from a midwife in relation to GWG and physical activity (PA) in pregnant women with pre-pregnancy obesity and analyse the impact on maternal and perinatal outcomes. In addition, we studied the frequency of use, usability and satisfaction with the mobile Apps used by the women in the intervention group (IG). METHODS This parallel 2-arm randomised controlled trial included 150 pregnant women with obesity. The IG received a complex combined digital intervention called Pas & Pes. The intervention was delivered with a smartband (Mi band 2©) linked to the App Mi Fit© plus personalised health information and 24h/day midwife support through another App (Hangouts ©). Women in the control group (CG) only received standard antenatal care. The Spanish version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form (IPAQ-SF) and the System Usability Scale (SUS) were used. Satisfaction was measured in a 1-5 point Likert scale. RESULTS We analysed 120 pregnant women; 30 have been withdrawn due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The mean GWG in the IG was 7 kg (Q1=4-Q3=11) vs. 9.3 kg (Q1=5.9-Q3=3.3) in the CG, P=.04. At the end of the study, the adjusted mean weight gain per week was 0.500 kg/week (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.41 to 0.58) for the CG and 0.350 kg/week (95%CI: 0.27-0.43) for the IG.Between gestation weeks 35-37, the women in the IG performed greater mean PA than the GC (1,980 metabolic equivalent of tasks [METs]-min/week vs. 1,386 METs/min-week, respectively; P=.01). No differences were observed between study groups in the incidence of maternal and perinatal outcomes. In the IG, 61% (36) of the pregnant women used the smartband daily, and 74.6% (44) evaluated the usability of the Mi Fit© App as excellent. The grade of satisfaction with the health counselling and virtual midwife support through an App obtained a mean score of 4.8 (SD: 0.6) points. CONCLUSIONS The use of a smartband and a health counselling App together with virtual midwife support and standard prenatal controls were effective for obtaining a lower GWG and increasing the performance of PA in pregnant women with obesity. CLINICALTRIAL This trial was registered in the Clinical Trial Register of the National Library of Medicine of United States (NCT03706872).

In Search of Mobile Health Apps Available for Pregnant Women: Qualitative Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriela Frid ◽  
Kelly Bogaert ◽  
Katherine Chen
Keyword(s):  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Scoring System ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Search Term ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Pregnancy And Childbirth ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Mobile Health Apps ◽  
Google Search

BACKGROUND Many pregnant women use the internet to obtain information about pregnancy and childbirth. Over 50% of pregnant women use pregnancy applications (apps) and must search through thousands of pregnancy or women’s health-related apps available on app stores. COVID-19 is changing how women receive prenatal care and their satisfaction with it, leading them to rely more on other sources of information. OBJECTIVE Our objective is to identify mobile apps recommended when a Google search is performed and to evaluate the apps’ features using a modified APPLICATIONS scoring system.  METHODS A list of pregnancy apps was identified in the first 20 Google search results using the search term “pregnancy app” and “pregnancy apps.” After excluding apps irrelevant to the study, all unique apps were downloaded and evaluated with the modified APPLICATION scoring system, which includes both objective and subjective criteria and evaluation of special features.  RESULTS A total of 57 unique pregnancy apps were generated. 28 apps were excluded for irrelevance, inaccuracy, malfunctioning, or no longer available. 29 apps were evaluated, with a mean score of 9.4 points out of a maximum of 16. The highest scoring app scored 15 points. The top five highest scoring apps were all included in the first article in a Google search result and four of them were also the highest mentioned among all articles. CONCLUSIONS Identification of pregnancy apps through a Google search yielded high-scoring apps that were mentioned in multiple articles, yet few contain all the desired qualities. While healthcare providers should continue to vet apps before recommending them to patients, these findings highlight that a Google search is a successful way for patients and providers to find useful and comprehensive pregnancy applications.

scholarly journals Probiotics and Maternal Mental Health: A Randomised Controlled Trial among Pregnant Women with Obesity

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia P. Dawe ◽  
Lesley M. E. McCowan ◽  
Jess Wilson ◽  
Karaponi A. M. Okesene-Gafa ◽  
Anna S. Serlachius
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Randomised Controlled Trial ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Maternal Mental Health ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Randomised Controlled

scholarly journals Birth ball for pregnant women in labour research protocol: a multi-centre randomised controlled trial

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
May Pui Shan Yeung ◽  
Katrina Wai Kay Tsang ◽  
Benjamin Hon Kei Yip ◽  
Wing Hung Tam ◽  
Wan Yim Ip ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Randomised Controlled Trial ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Research Protocol ◽  
Randomised Controlled

Targeting the perinatal diet to modulate the gut microbiota increases dietary variety and prebiotic and probiotic food intakes: results from a randomised controlled trial

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Samantha L Dawson ◽  
Mohammadreza Mohebbi ◽  
Jeffrey M Craig ◽  
Phillip Dawson ◽  
Gerard Clarke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Randomised Controlled Trial ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Diet Quality ◽  
Dietary Intervention ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Dietary Variety ◽  
Probiotic Food ◽  
Randomised Controlled

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the hypothesis that a perinatal educational dietary intervention focused on ‘eating for the gut microbiota’ improves diet quality of pregnant women pre- and postnatally. Design: The Healthy Parents, Healthy Kids study is a prospectively registered randomised controlled trial designed to evaluate the efficacy of a dietary intervention in altering the maternal and infant gut microbiota and improving perinatal diet quality. Eligible pregnant women were randomised to receive dietary advice from their healthcare provider or to additionally receive a three session dietary intervention. Dietary data were collected at gestation weeks 26, 31, 36 and postnatal week 4. Outcome measures were diet quality, dietary variety, prebiotic and probiotic food intakes, energy, fibre, saturated fat and discretionary food intakes. Between-group differential changes from baseline before and after birth in these dietary measures were assessed using generalised estimating equations. Setting: Melbourne, Australia. Participants: Healthy pregnant women from gestation week 26. Results: Forty-five women were randomised (twenty-two control, twenty-three intervention). Compared with the control group, the intervention group improved diet quality prior to birth (5·66 (95 % CI 1·65, 9·67), Cohen’s d: 0·82 (se 0·33)). The intervention improved dietary variety (1·05 (95 % CI 0·17, 1·94), d: 0·66 (se 0·32)) and increased intakes of prebiotic (0·8 (95 % CI 0·27, 1·33), d: 0·91 (se 0·33)) and probiotic foods (1·05 (95 % CI 0·57, 1·53), d: 1·3(se 0·35)) over the whole study period compared with the control group. Conclusion: A dietary intervention focused on ‘eating for the gut microbiota’ can improve aspects of perinatal diet quality during and after pregnancy.

scholarly journals Internet-based cognitive–behavioural therapy for prevention of depression during pregnancy and in the post partum (iPDP): a protocol for a large-scale randomised controlled trial

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. e036482 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daisuke Nishi ◽  
Kotaro Imamura ◽  
Kazuhiro Watanabe ◽  
Erika Obikane ◽  
Natsu Sasaki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Randomised Controlled Trial ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy ◽  
Post Partum ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Behavioural Therapy ◽  
Cognitive Behavioural ◽  
Randomised Controlled ◽  
Major Depressive Episodes ◽  
Depressive Episodes

IntroductionThe objective of this randomised controlled trial (RCT) is to examine the effects of smartphone-based cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT) in preventing the onset of major depressive episodes (MDE) among pregnant women.Methods and analysisThe target study population will be pregnant women of 16–20 weeks gestation who are currently users of ‘Luna Luna Baby’, the most widely used app for pregnant women in Japan. Those who meet the eligibility criteria will be randomly allocated to the 6-module internet CBT programme that was newly developed for pregnant women (n=2500), or to a treatment-as-usual control group (n=2500). Participants in the intervention groups will be required to complete the programme by 32 weeks gestation. The primary outcomes are the number of new onsets of MDE, measured by using WHO Composite International Diagnostic Interview 3.0 at 32 weeks gestation and 3 months post partum. Survival analysis will be conducted to test for the effectiveness of the intervention on the time to the onset of MDE.Ethics and disseminationThe study plan has been approved by the Research Ethics Review Board of the Graduate School of Medicine/Faculty of Medicine, the University of Tokyo (2019150NI). If the intervention programmes are found to produce a significant positive effect in this RCT, these programmes can be made available for all users of the app in the future.Trial registration numberUMIN000038190; Pre-results.

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