Pregnancy Exercise and Nutrition With Smartphone Application Support: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Area of Science:

• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Public Health
• Digital Health

Background:

• Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) poses risks to maternal and infant health.
• Overweight and obesity are significant risk factors for GDM.
• Behavior change interventions, particularly those leveraging mobile technology, are being explored to mitigate GDM risk.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of a healthy lifestyle package, integrating a smartphone application, in reducing the incidence of GDM among overweight and obese pregnant women.
• To assess the impact of an antenatal behavior change intervention on GDM rates.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving 565 overweight and obese women (BMI 25-39.9).
• Intervention group received dietary and exercise advice via a smartphone app; control group received usual care.
• Primary outcome: GDM incidence at 28-30 weeks gestation.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in GDM incidence between the intervention (15.4%) and control (14.1%) groups (RR 1.1, 95% CI 0.71-1.66, P=.71).
• Recruitment included 565 women with a mean BMI of 29.3 and mean gestational age of 15.5 weeks.

Conclusions:

• A mobile health-supported behavioral intervention did not decrease the incidence of GDM in this population.
• Further research may be needed to explore alternative or enhanced digital health strategies for GDM prevention.