The HealthyMoms Trial to Promote Healthy Gestational Weight Gain

A Smartphone Application (HealthyMoms) to Promote Healthy Weight Gain, Diet and Physical Activity During Pregnancy: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Excessive gestational weight gain is a major public health problem. Traditional face-to-face intervention programs has been shown to be succesful in order to promote healthier weight gains, however, they are time-consuming and expensive. The objectives of this study are to assess whether a 6-month smartphone application can promote healthy gestational weight gain, dietary habits and physical activity in pregnant women.

Excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) increases risks for pregnancy complications, postpartum weight retention and offspring obesity. Traditional intervention programs are time and cost intensive. Mobile technology (mHealth) has been successful for weight loss and behavior changes; however, their use in pregnancy need to be further examined. This study aims to evaluate the impact of a smartphone application (app) intervention on GWG, diet, physical activity and glucose homeostasis. HealthyMoms is a randomized controlled trial recruiting women at the first maternity clinic visit (week 6-10) in the Linköping area, Sweden. Women will be randomized to the control or intervention group (n=150 per group). All women will receive standard care. The intervention group will also receive the HealthyMoms smartphone app promoting healthy eating, activity and GWG during 6 months. Pregnancy outcomes are GWG (primary), food intake (web-based questionnaire), fat mass (BodPod), glucose homeostasis, activity (accelerometer) in week 37. Maternal and infant body fatness will be assessed one week post partum.

This group will receive the smartphone app HealthyMoms between gestational week 14 and 37. The app will contain information and support to achieve a healthy weight gain and lifestyle during pregnancy. This group will also receive standard care.

Participants in the intervention group will receive a 6-month mobile phone based program via a mobile phone application specifically designed for this study. The program will include information, advice and strategies to promote healthy gestational weight gain.

Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in gestational week 37 minus MVPA in gestational week 14. MVPA will be assessed using wrist-worn accelerometry (Actigraph wGT3x) during 7 days at both time points.

Diet quality in gestational week 37 minus diet quality in gestational week 14. Diet quality will be assessed using a web-based questionnaire (a combination of a food-frequency questionnaire and two 24 hour recalls)

Inclusion Criteria: a single pregnancy aged 18 years or above be able to speak and read Swedish sufficiently well. Exclusion Criteria: previous diagnosed eating disorder pre-pregnancy diabetes or medical conditions or pharmacological treatments prior to pregnancy that may affect body weight

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Henriksson P, Migueles JH, Soderstrom E, Sandborg J, Maddison R, Lof M. User engagement in relation to effectiveness of a digital lifestyle intervention (the HealthyMoms app) in pregnancy. Sci Rep. 2022 Aug 13;12(1):13793. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-17554-9.

Sandborg J, Soderstrom E, Henriksson P, Bendtsen M, Henstrom M, Leppanen MH, Maddison R, Migueles JH, Blomberg M, Lof M. Effectiveness of a Smartphone App to Promote Healthy Weight Gain, Diet, and Physical Activity During Pregnancy (HealthyMoms): Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2021 Mar 11;9(3):e26091. doi: 10.2196/26091.

Sandborg J, Henriksson P, Larsen E, Lindqvist AK, Rutberg S, Soderstrom E, Maddison R, Lof M. Participants' Engagement and Satisfaction With a Smartphone App Intended to Support Healthy Weight Gain, Diet, and Physical Activity During Pregnancy: Qualitative Study Within the HealthyMoms Trial. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2021 Mar 5;9(3):e26159. doi: 10.2196/26159.