Knowledge, attitude, and willingness to use and pay for smartphone applications for physical activity among pregnant women

Background: Pregnancy is strongly associated with increased risk for depression. Approximately 25% of pregnant women develop depression. Treatment for depression during pregnancy has several complexities: the use of psychiatric medications during pregnancy might result in developmental problems in the child and must be used with caution. Psychosocial interventions are effective, but they require specialized professionals. Low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) countries such as Brazil do not have enough mental health professionals needed to meet this demand. In this context, smartphone-based interventions show immense potential. We developed Motherly, a smartphone application (app) designed to treat maternal depression. We aim to test the efficacy of Motherly in addition to brief cognitive-behavioral therapies (CBT) to treat maternal depression. Methods: We will conduct a 2-arm parallel randomized controlled clinical trial in which 70 pregnant women aged between 16-40 years with depression will be randomized to intervention or active control. The intervention group will have access to Motherly, a smartphone app based on three concepts: psychoeducation, behavior monitoring, and gaming elements. Motherly is composed of a package of interventions composed of modules: mental health, sleep, nutrition, physical activity, social support, prenatal/postnatal support, and educational content. The main focus of Motherly is delivering behavioral activation (BA), a brief and structured psychological treatment. The app allows participants to schedule and engage in, and monitor activities according to a plan to avoid acting exclusively according to their mood. The active control group will have access to a simplified version of the app consisting of educational content about various aspects of pregnancy, maternal physical and mental health, and infant development (BA, activity scheduling, sleep hygiene, among other functionalities, will not be present in this version). Both groups will receive four sessions of brief CBT in 8 weeks. Participants will be evaluated by assessors blind to randomization and allocation status. Assessments will occur at baseline (T0), midpoint (T1, week 4-5), posttreatment (T2, week 8), and follow-up (T3, when the child is two months-old). Maternal mental health (prenatal anxiety, psychological well-being, perceived stress, depression, depression severity, and sleep quality), quality of life, physical activity levels, and infant developmental milestones and social/emotional problems will be measured. Our primary outcome is the change in maternal prenatal depression from baseline to posttreatment (8 weeks). Discussion: The potential of digital technology to deliver mental health interventions has been increasingly recognized worldwide. There is a growing literature on interventions using smartphone applications to promote mental health, both with or without the intermediation of a mental health professional. Our study adds to the literature by testing whether an app providing an intervention package, including CBT, psychoeducation, nutrition, physical activity, and social support, can promote maternal and child health and well-being. In particular, we aim to treat depression, for which the use of digital technologies is still scarce. Smartphone applications designed to treat maternal depression are especially relevant because of the potential to circumvent barriers that prevent pregnant women from accessing mental health care.

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A smartphone-assisted brief online cognitive-behavioral intervention for pregnant women with depression: a study protocol of a randomized controlled trial

Trials ◽

10.1186/s13063-021-05179-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Pedro Fonseca Zuccolo ◽

Mariana O. Xavier ◽

Alicia Matijasevich ◽

Guilherme Polanczyk ◽

Daniel Fatori

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Physical Activity ◽

Social Support ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Maternal Depression ◽

Active Control ◽

Well Being ◽

Smartphone Applications ◽

Educational Content ◽

Randomized Controlled

Abstract Background Pregnancy is strongly associated with increased risk for depression. Approximately 25% of pregnant women develop depression. Treatment for depression during pregnancy has several complexities: the use of psychiatric medications during pregnancy might result in developmental problems in the child and must be used with caution. Psychosocial interventions are effective, but they require specialized professionals. Low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) such as Brazil do not have enough mental health professionals needed to meet this demand. In this context, smartphone-based interventions show immense potential. We developed Motherly, a smartphone application (app) designed to treat maternal depression. We aim to test the efficacy of Motherly in addition to brief cognitive-behavioral therapies (CBT) to treat maternal depression. Methods We will conduct a 2-arm parallel-randomized controlled clinical trial in which 70 pregnant women aged between 16 and 40 years with depression will be randomized to intervention or active control. The intervention group will have access to Motherly, a smartphone app based on three concepts: psychoeducation, behavior monitoring, and gaming elements. Motherly is composed of a package of interventions composed of modules: mental health, sleep, nutrition, physical activity, social support, prenatal/postnatal support, and educational content. The main focus of Motherly is delivering behavioral activation (BA), a brief and structured psychological treatment. The app allows participants to schedule and engage in, and monitor activities according to a plan to avoid acting exclusively according to their mood. The active control group will have access to a simplified version of the app consisting of educational content about various aspects of pregnancy, maternal physical and mental health, and infant development (BA, activity scheduling, sleep hygiene, among other functionalities, will not be present in this version). Both groups will receive four sessions of brief CBT in 8 weeks. Participants will be evaluated by assessors blind to randomization and allocation status. Assessments will occur at baseline (T0), midpoint (T1, week 4–5), posttreatment (T2, week 8), and follow-up (T3, when the child is 2 months old). Maternal mental health (prenatal anxiety, psychological well-being, perceived stress, depression, depression severity, and sleep quality), quality of life, physical activity levels, and infant developmental milestones and social/emotional problems will be measured. Our primary outcome is the change in maternal prenatal depression from baseline to posttreatment (8 weeks). Discussion The potential of digital technology to deliver mental health interventions has been increasingly recognized worldwide. There is a growing literature on interventions using smartphone applications to promote mental health, both with or without the intermediation of a mental health professional. Our study adds to the literature by testing whether an app providing an intervention package, including CBT, psychoeducation, nutrition, physical activity, and social support, can promote maternal and child health and well-being. In particular, we aim to treat depression, for which the use of digital technologies is still scarce. Smartphone applications designed to treat maternal depression are especially relevant because of the potential to circumvent barriers that prevent pregnant women from accessing mental health care. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04495166. Prospectively registered on July 29, 2020.

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A Smartphone-Assisted Brief Behavioral Intervention for Pregnant Women with Depression: a Study Protocol of a Randomized Controlled Trial

10.21203/rs.3.rs-67826/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Pedro Fonseca Zuccolo ◽

Mariana O. Xavier ◽

Alicia Matijasevich ◽

Guilherme Vanoni Polanczyk ◽

Daniel Fatori

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Physical Activity ◽

Social Support ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Active Control ◽

Behavioral Intervention ◽

Maternal Mental Health ◽

Smartphone Applications ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Brief Behavioral Intervention

Abstract Background: Pregnancy is strongly associated with increased risk for depression, but treating pregnant women is challenging. The use of psychiatric medications might result in developmental problems in the child, therefore must be used with caution. Psychosocial interventions require specialized professionals which are scarce, especially in low- and middle-income countries. In this context, smartphone-based interventions show immense potential. We created Motherly, a smartphone app designed to promote maternal mental health. The Motherly app delivers a package of interventions, including mental health, sleep, nutrition, physical activity, social support, prenatal/postnatal support, and psychoeducational content. With this study, we will test the effectiveness of the Motherly app in addition to brief cognitive-behavioral therapies (CBT) to treat maternal depression. Methods: We will conduct a 2-arm parallel randomized controlled clinical trial in which 70 pregnant women between 16-40 years with depression will be randomized to intervention or active control. The intervention group will have access to the Motherly app. The active control group will have access to a simplified version of the app consisting exclusively of psychoeducational content. Both groups will undergo four sessions of CBT in 8 weeks. Participants will be evaluated by assessors blind to randomization and allocation status at baseline (T0), midpoint (T1, week 4-5), posttreatment (T2, week 8), and follow-up (T3, when the child is two months-old). Maternal mental health (prenatal anxiety, psychological well-being, perceived stress, depression, depression severity, and sleep quality), quality of life, physical activity levels, and infant developmental milestones and social/emotional problems will be measured. Our primary outcome is the change in maternal prenatal depression from baseline to posttreatment (8 weeks). Discussion: There is a growing literature on interventions using smartphone applications to promote mental health, both with or without the intermediation of a mental health professional. Our study adds to the literature by testing whether an app providing an intervention package, including CBT, psychoeducation, nutrition, physical activity, and social support, can treat depression, a condition for which the use of digital technologies is still scarce. Smartphone applications designed to treat maternal depression have the potential to circumvent barriers that prevent pregnant women from accessing mental health care.Trial Registration: A Smartphone-Assisted Brief Behavioral Intervention for Pregnant Women With Depression (clinicaltrials.gov, registry number: NCT04495166, prospectively registered in 29/07/2020).

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Predictors of Physical Activity in Pregnant Women

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e508002008-001 ◽

2008 ◽

Author(s):

Dolores T. Cannella ◽

Marci Lobel ◽

Alan G. Monheit

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Pregnant Women

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Faculty Opinions recommendation of Effect of lifestyle intervention on dietary habits, physical activity, and gestational weight gain in obese pregnant women: a randomized controlled trial.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.1280988.746106 ◽

2009 ◽

Author(s):

Marleen van Baak

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Weight Gain ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Lifestyle Intervention ◽

Gestational Weight Gain ◽

Dietary Habits ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Gestational Weight ◽

Randomized Controlled

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Physical Activity Patterns of Women with a Twin Pregnancy—A Cross-Sectional Study

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18157724 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (15) ◽

pp. 7724

Author(s):

Katarzyna Kwiatkowska ◽

Katarzyna Kosińska-Kaczyńska ◽

Izabela Walasik ◽

Agnieszka Osińska ◽

Iwona Szymusik

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Twin Pregnancy ◽

Activity Patterns ◽

Multiple Pregnancy ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sources Of Information ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Physically Active

Background: No specific physical activity guidelines are available for women in multiple pregnancy. Aim of the study was to assess the knowledge and experience of women regarding physical activity during their latest twin pregnancy. Methods: A cross-sectional study including women after a twin delivery was conducted in Poland. A questionnaire was distributed in 2018 via web pages and Facebook groups designed for pregnant women. Results: 652 women filled out the questionnaire completely. Only 25% of women performed any physical exercises during twin gestation. The frequency of preterm delivery was similar in physically active and non-active participants. 35% of the respondents claimed to have gained information on proper activity from obstetricians during antenatal counselling while 11% claimed to be unable to identify the reliable sources of information. 7% of women admitted to feel discriminated by social opinion on exercising during a twin pregnancy. Conclusions: The population of women with a twin gestation is not sufficiently physically active and is often discouraged from performing exercises during gestation. Therefore, it is crucial to inform obstetricians to recommend active lifestyle during a twin gestation and to provide reliable information on physical activity to pregnant women. Further research on this topic is necessary in order for obstetric providers to counsel women on appropriate exercise with a twin pregnancy.

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Physical Activity Advice and Counselling by Healthcare Providers: A Scoping Review

Healthcare ◽

10.3390/healthcare9050609 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (5) ◽

pp. 609

Author(s):

Uchenna Benedine Okafor ◽

Daniel Ter Goon

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Post Partum ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Original Research ◽

Eligibility Criteria ◽

Physical Activity Advice ◽

Scoping Reviews ◽

Physical Activity And Exercise

Background: Despite scientific evidence on prenatal physical activity and exercise, synthesized evidence is lacking on the provision of prenatal physical activity and exercise advice and counselling by prenatal healthcare providers. The scoping review seeks to fill this gap by synthesizing available literature on the provision of prenatal physical activity and exercise advice and counselling by prenatal healthcare providers to women during antenatal visits. Methods: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) search framework for scoping reviews was applied to retrieve original research articles on the prenatal physical activity and exercise practices of healthcare providers with pregnant women, published between 2010–2020, and available in English. The search databases included Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, EMBASE, The Cumulative Index for Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), BIOMED Central, Medline and African Journal Online. Studies that fulfilled the eligibility criteria were retrieved for analysis. Results: Out of the 82 articles that were retrieved for review, 13 met the eligibility criteria. Seven of the articles were quantitative, four qualitative, one mixed-method and one controlled, non-randomised study, respectively. Three themes emerged as major findings. Healthcare providers affirmed their responsibility in providing prenatal physical activity advice and counselling to pregnant women; however, they seldom or rarely performed this role. Major barriers to prenatal physical activity and exercise included insufficient time, lack of knowledge and skills, inadequate or insufficient training, and lack of resources. Conclusion: This review highlights salient features constraining the uptake of prenatal physical activity and exercise advice/counselling by prenatal healthcare providers in both community and clinical settings. Prenatal physical activity advice and counselling are key components to the promotion of physical activity adherence during and post-partum pregnancy; this requires adequate knowledge of physical activity prescriptions and recommendations, which are personalised and contextual to environment. Research is needed to examine the prenatal physical activity advice and counselling from prenatal healthcare providers on issues hindering effective delivery of the aforementioned in the context of promoting prenatal physical activity in clinical or community settings.

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Translation and cultural adaptation of the Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire into Danish using the dual-panel approach: comparison with outcomes from an alternative translation approach

BMC Research Notes ◽

10.1186/s13104-021-05640-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Jannie Tygesen Schmidt ◽

Josephine Nielsen ◽

Allan Riis ◽

Birgit Tine Larsen

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Activity Levels ◽

Physical Activity Questionnaire ◽

Culturally Adapted ◽

The Us ◽

Physical Activity Recommendations ◽

Approach Method ◽

Translation Methods ◽

Activity Questionnaire

Abstract Objective Physical activity reduces the risk of pregnancy-related complications. However, pregnant women often reduce their physical activity levels and do not follow the WHO’s physical activity recommendations during pregnancy. To support pregnant women in monitoring physical activity, the self-administered Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire was developed in the US. We translated and cross-cultural adapted the questionnaire using the dual approach method. Meanwhile, and without knowing this, another Danish group simultaneously translated the questionnaire using the method described by Beaton et al. The aim is to present our data and discuss the unplanned purpose of comparing the results from using two different translation methods. Results We translated and cross-culturally adapted the Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire to Danish with the following findings. Two additional items for cycling were included. Three items about spending time on a computer, reading, writing or talking on the phone were not feasible in terms of differentiating between them and these were merged into one item. The item ‘Taking care of an older adult’ was found to be irrelevant in a Danish setting and was removed. Adaptions were similar comparing the two methods. Consequently, using the dual-panel and the methods suggested by Beaton et al. yield similar results when translating and cultural adapting the PPAQ.

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