HealthyPregnancy: development and feasibility of a digital care guide to promote recommended gestational weight gain in pregnant women living with overweight in Denmark.

OBJECTIVES

Excessive gestational weight gain increases the risk of complications in pregnancy, childbirth and later in life among pregnant women living with overweight and their offspring. Therefore, this study aimed to develop and examine the feasibility of a digital intervention supporting recommended gestational weight gain and the recommended level of physical activity, targeting pregnant women with a body mass index (BMI) of 27 or above.

DESIGN

Intervention development was guided by the Medical Research Council guideline on the development and evaluation of complex interventions, and subsequent feasibility testing was conducted in a non-randomised design.

SETTING

The obstetric department at Copenhagen University Hospital-North Zealand, Denmark.

PARTICIPANTS

98 pregnant women living with overweight participated in feasibility testing.

INTERVENTIONS: The intervention developed in this study was a mobile phone application with a digital care guide containing text and video information supporting recommended gestational weight gain and physical activity levels. The video material featured multiple healthcare professionals and a pregnant woman from the target group.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The main feasibility measures were participant recruitment and engagement with the digital care guide throughout pregnancy.

RESULTS

Recruitment rates were satisfactory, with 69% of eligible pregnant women consenting to participation. The participants used the application and engaged with the digital care guide; however, use of the care guide diminished as pregnancy progressed.

CONCLUSIONS

We developed a digital care guide supporting recommended gestational weight gain and physical activity levels for pregnant women with a BMI of 27 or higher. Feasibility testing indicated that there is sufficient interest in participating in a study promoting recommended weight gain and physical activity to warrant a larger effectiveness trial.