Healthy Motivations for Moms-to-be Study

Summary

This proposal is part of a broader research agenda that posits healthy gestational weight gain (GWG) may be achieved through behavioral intervention and may potentially reduce adverse maternal and infant health outcomes associated with excessive weight gain during pregnancy. The purpose of this study is to examine the use of a mobile application (mobile app) and mobile website for encouraging and maintaining healthy behaviors such as healthy eating, regular exercise, and stress management and reduction during pregnancy. The study will include collaborative group-based health behavior challenges for pregnant women living in the United States. The study will test the effectiveness of the intervention on improving maternal health behaviors. The proposed research project will examine if an intervention targeting healthy eating and exercise leads to significantly less weight gained during pregnancy versus a comparison group that receives stress reduction and management content.

Conditions

• Weight Gain
• Pregnancy
• Stress, Emotional
• Exercise
• Nutrition

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Healthy Eating and Physical Activity

Participants will be assigned to a group of 8-10 other pregnant women to work towards the same healthy eating or physical activity behavior challenge each week for a total of 12 weeks. The challenges will not require travel or financial support, but will focus on modifying or encouraging daily lifestyle activities, such as "drink 8 full glasses of water 3 times this week." Participants will track their healthy eating and physical activity behaviors in a mobile app. The HEPA condition will have access to podcasts and informational tips for having a healthy pregnancy through the study website. The HEPA condition will be able to log their weight on a daily basis and track their overall weight gain on a chart through the study website.

BEHAVIORAL

Stress Reduction and Management

Participants will be put into a group of 8-10 other pregnant women to work towards the same stress reduction and management goal each week for a total of 12 weeks. The challenges will not require travel or financial support, but will focus on modifying or encouraging daily lifestyle activities, such as "take a 15 minute technology break each day this week." Participants will track their stress reduction and management behaviors in a mobile app. In addition, the SRAM condition will have access to meditation podcasts and informational tips for having a healthy pregnancy through the study website. Lastly, the SRAM condition will be able to rate their stress level on a daily basis and track their stress on a graph.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of South Carolina

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Alicia A Dahl, MS · University of South Carolina

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

20 Years

Max Age

35 Years

Sex

FEMALE

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2017-01-05

Primary Completion

2018-03-01

Completion

2018-03-01

Countries

• United States

Study Locations