Do pregnant women with overweight and obesity find a nutrition and exercise intervention with smartphone app support acceptable? Findings from the PEARs randomised controlled trial. (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Dietary interventions can improve pregnancy outcomes amongst women with increased BMI. Furthermore, interest in mobile health (mHealth) is growing but little is known about the acceptability of a smartphone app to support lifestyle interventions among such a cohort. OBJECTIVE We aimed to assess the acceptability of the PEARs study and the use of mHealth in a mixed lifestyle intervention. METHODS PEARs was a randomised controlled trial of a low glycaemic index (GI) dietary intervention with exercise prescription and smartphone app, delivered to pregnant women with overweight and obesity. Acceptability questionnaires were completed by the intervention group at 28 weeks’ gestation (n = 149) and post-intervention (n = 123). Maternal characteristics were recorded (age, ethnicity, BMI, socioeconomic status). Associations between maternal characteristics and acceptability of the intervention and app were analysed using t-tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, chi-squares and logistic regression. One-on-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sub-cohort of intervention participants (n = 28) at 34 weeks’ gestation, in which participants shared their experience of the PEARs intervention. RESULTS The intervention was generally accepted, with respondents agreeing that the diet was easy to follow (68.5%), enjoyable (74.1%) and affordable (76.9%). Qualitative and quantitative results were consistent with one another, both demonstrating that app acceptability was high. Participants agreed that the app was enjoyable (80%) and easy to use (97.5%). Compared to those with tertiary education, those with lower education were more likely to enjoy the dietary changes (P = .039). Enjoyment of the app was associated with disadvantaged neighbourhood deprivation index (P = .012) and higher BMI (B = .172, P = .029). CONCLUSIONS The PEARs intervention and use of a supportive smartphone app were accepted by pregnant women, particularly by those from vulnerable subgroups of the population. CLINICALTRIAL https://www.isrctn.com/, ISRCTN29316280

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Do pregnant women with overweight and obesity find a nutrition and exercise intervention with smartphone app support acceptable? Findings from the PEARs randomised controlled trial. (Preprint)

JMIR mhealth and uhealth ◽

10.2196/17189 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Ellen Greene ◽

Eileen O'Brien ◽

Kate Ainscough ◽

Maria A Kennelly ◽

Orna A O'Brien ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Randomised Controlled Trial ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Exercise Intervention ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Smartphone App ◽

Randomised Controlled

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Dietary intake and processes of behaviour change in a nutrition education intervention for pregnant women in rural Malawi: a cluster-randomised controlled trial

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980020000294 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 23 (13) ◽

pp. 2345-2354

Author(s):

Lillian Ziyenda Katenga-Kaunda ◽

Per Ole Iversen ◽

Gerd Holmboe-Ottesen ◽

Heidi Fjeld ◽

Ibrahimu Mdala ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Randomised Controlled Trial ◽

Dietary Intake ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Nutrition Education ◽

Dietary Diversity ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Dietary Behaviour ◽

Dietary Intakes ◽

Randomised Controlled

AbstractObjective:To examine if increased intake of locally available nutrient-dense foods among pregnant women improved the quality of their dietary intake and if use of the Theory of Planned Behaviour could explain changes in their dietary behaviour.Design:We used data from a randomised controlled trial where the intervention group received nutrition education and dietary counselling. We promoted the use of recipes that utilised powders to enhance dietary diversity. We examined how the intervention achieved changes in dietary intakes and used mixed effects logistic regression models with random effects at village level to explore changes over time of the outcomes, adjusted for selected explanatory variables.Setting:The study was conducted in twenty villages in rural Malawi.Participants:Data from 257 pregnant women who were enrolled during late first trimester and followed until birth.Results:The intervention achieved improvements in the Dietary Diversity Score (DDS) and the Six Food Group Pyramid (SFG) score, especially in intakes of micronutrient-rich foods. A third of the women in the intervention group attained optimal DDS, whereas about 50 % attained optimal SFG. The theorised behaviour mediators (i.e. nutrition attitudes, nutrition behaviour control and subjective norm) that had improved were also significantly associated with high DDS.Conclusions:Improved dietary intakes were achieved through promoting the use of locally available nutrient-dense foods. Attainment of high DDS was a consequence of the women’s belief in the effectiveness of the proposed nutrition recommendations. We identified critical personal and environmental constraints related to dietary intakes during pregnancy in a low-resource setting.

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A Smartphone App in Promoting Mental Wellbeing and Awareness of Anxiety Disorders for Adolescents: A Pilot Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.22684 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Yuying Sun ◽

Man Ping Wang ◽

Sai Yin Ho ◽

Christian S. Chan ◽

Patrick K.W. Man ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Randomised Controlled Trial ◽

Anxiety Disorders ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial ◽

Mental Wellbeing ◽

Smartphone App ◽

Control Group ◽

Cluster Randomised ◽

Randomised Controlled

BACKGROUND Mental health problems in adolescents are prevalent while population-based interventions for improving mental wellbeing of adolescents are limited. OBJECTIVE To design a smartphone app and evaluate its effect on promoting mental wellbeing of adolescents and awareness of anxiety disorders. METHODS A pilot cluster randomised controlled trial was conducted with 2 secondary schools (390 students, mean age 13.1 years) randomised to the intervention and control groups. A smartphone app was designed for one month’s use to promote mental wellbeing through “Sharing, Mind and Enjoyment (SME)” related interactions between students and their parents (e.g., express gratitude to family in words or actions), with assistance of App designers in releasing SME tasks daily. The waitlist control group was offered the app after completing all assessments. The primary outcomes were SME behaviours measured at 3-month after baseline. Secondary outcomes included subjective happiness, wellbeing, personal health and happiness, family health, happiness and harmony, self-perceived knowledge and understanding of anxiety disorders. Two focus groups of students and three individual in-depth interviews of service providers were conducted. RESULTS In the intervention students, 11.2% used the app together with parents and 45.4% used it without involving parents. The intervention group did not show significant difference in the change of SME behaviours at 1-month or 3-month compared with the control group. The intervention group showed greater increase in the awareness of anxiety disorders at follow-ups than the control group (Cohen’s d=0.52 at 1-month and 0.43 at 3-month, both P<0.001). Post-hoc analysis showed significantly greater increase in SME-related behaviours in the adherent subgroup than the control group at 3-month (d=0.46, P=0.04). The interviews found favourable changes in app users, but motivation of using the app was low in general. Both students and community partners suggested primary school students would be more receptive users. CONCLUSIONS The app did not show effectiveness in increasing SME behaviours of students but was effective in increasing awareness of anxiety disorders. Further improvements and tests among younger children and their parents are warranted. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03361475

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A power-assisted exercise intervention in people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities living in a residential facility: a pilot randomised controlled trial

Clinical Rehabilitation ◽

10.1177/0269215516687347 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 31 (9) ◽

pp. 1168-1178 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Leontien WM Bossink ◽

Annette AJ van der Putten ◽

Aly Waninge ◽

Carla Vlaskamp

Keyword(s):

Randomised Controlled Trial ◽

Oxygen Saturation ◽

Exercise Intervention ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Multiple Disabilities ◽

Cardiovascular Fitness ◽

Residential Facility ◽

Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial ◽

Randomised Controlled

Objective: To assess the feasibility of conducting a randomised controlled trial to determine the effectiveness of a twenty-week power-assisted exercise intervention in people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities and to evaluate the potential beneficial effects of this intervention. Design: Pilot randomised controlled trial. Setting: A large-scale twenty-four-hour residential facility in the Netherlands. Subjects: Thirty-seven persons with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities. Intervention: Participants in the intervention group received a power-assisted exercise intervention three times a week for thirty minutes over a twenty-week period. Participants in the control group received care as usual. Main measures: Trial feasibility by recruitment process and outcomes completion rates; intervention feasibility by programme compliance rates; potential outcomes by functional abilities, alertness, body composition, muscle tone, oxygen saturation, cardiovascular fitness and quality of life. Results: Thirty-seven participants were recruited ( M age = 32.1, SD = 14.6) and were randomly allocated to intervention ( n = 19) and control ( n = 18) groups. Programme compliance rates ranged from 54.2% to 97.7% with a mean (SD) of 81.5% (13.4). Oxygen saturation significantly increased in the intervention group. Standardised effect sizes on the difference between groups in outcome varied between 0.02 and 0.62. Conclusions: The power-assisted exercise intervention and the trial design were feasible and acceptable to people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities living in a residential facility. This pilot study suggests that the intervention improves oxygen saturation, but further implementation with the aim of improving other outcomes should be considered with caution.

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Effects of a low‐dose Copenhagen adduction exercise intervention on adduction strength in sub‐elite male footballers: A randomised controlled trial

Translational Sports Medicine ◽

10.1002/tsm2.238 ◽

2021 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jack Dawkins ◽

Lasse Ishøi ◽

Jake O. Willott ◽

Lars L. Andersen ◽

Kristian Thorborg

Keyword(s):

Randomised Controlled Trial ◽

Low Dose ◽

Exercise Intervention ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Randomised Controlled

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Efficacy of a 28-compartment pillbox for improving iron supplement compliance in healthy pregnant women: a randomised controlled trial

Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology ◽

10.1080/01443615.2020.1856056 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Athiwat Rattanapiratanon ◽

Kittipong Kongsomboon ◽

Tharangrut Hanprasertpong

Keyword(s):

Randomised Controlled Trial ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Iron Supplement ◽

Randomised Controlled

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Efficacy of a Multi-Component m-Health Diet, Physical Activity, and Sleep Intervention on Dietary Intake in Adults with Overweight and Obesity: A Randomised Controlled Trial

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13072468 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (7) ◽

pp. 2468

Author(s):

Sasha Fenton ◽

Tracy L. Burrows ◽

Clare E. Collins ◽

Anna T. Rayward ◽

Beatrice Murawski ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Weight Loss ◽

Randomised Controlled Trial ◽

Dietary Intake ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Weight Loss Intervention ◽

Traditional Group ◽

Traditional Diet ◽

Randomised Controlled

This three-arm randomised controlled trial evaluated whether (1) a multi-component weight loss intervention targeting diet, physical activity (PA), and sleep was effective at improving dietary intake over six months and 12 months, compared with a control, and (2) the enhanced diet, PA, and sleep intervention was more effective at improving dietary intake than the traditional diet and PA intervention. A total of 116 adults (70% female, 44.5 years, BMI 31.7 kg/m2) were randomised to either traditional diet and PA intervention; enhanced diet, PA, and sleep intervention; or wait-list control. To examine between-group differences, intervention groups were pooled and compared with the control. Then, the two intervention groups were compared. At six months, the pooled intervention group consumed 1011 fewer kilojoules/day (95% CI −1922, −101), less sodium (−313.2 mg/day; 95% CI −591.3, −35.0), and higher %EI from fruit (+2.1%EI; 95% CI 0.1, 4.1) than the controls. There were no differences in intake between the enhanced and traditional groups at six months. At 12 months, the pooled intervention and control groups reported no significant differences. However, compared to the traditional group, the enhanced reported higher %EI from nutrient-dense foods (+7.4%EI; 95% CI 1.3, 13.5) and protein (+2.4%EI; 95% CI 0.1, 4.6), and reduced %EI from fried/takeaway foods (−3.6%EI; 95% CI −6.5, −0.7), baked sweet products (−2.0%EI; 95% CI −3.6, −0.4), and packaged snacks (−1.1%EI; 95% CI −2.2, −0.3). This weight loss intervention reduced total energy and sodium intakes as well as increased fruit intake in adults at six months. The enhanced intervention group reported improved dietary intake relative to the traditional group at 12 months.

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