Digital preconception interventions targeting weight, diet and physical activity: A systematic review

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Health
• Digital Health Interventions
• Maternal Health

Background:

• Optimizing preconception health is crucial for conception, pregnancy outcomes, and reducing chronic disease risk.
• Digital and blended interventions offer novel approaches to improve women's health before conception.
• Synthesizing evidence on these interventions is vital for guiding future strategies.

Approach:

• Systematic review of randomized control trials, quasi-experimental trials, and observational studies with historical controls (1990-2022).
• Included studies targeted non-pregnant women of childbearing age aiming to improve modifiable behaviors (diet, physical activity, weight, supplementation).
• Excluded studies involving women with type 1 or type 2 diabetes; assessed risk of bias using established criteria.

Key Points:

• Ten studies (n=4,461) were analyzed, predominantly randomized controlled trials with low to neutral risk of bias.
• Interventions utilized diverse digital modalities like email, text messaging, web-based materials, apps, and social media.
• Blended delivery models and longer engagement periods were associated with greater weight loss.

Conclusions:

• Combined traditional and digital (blended) delivery methods appear most effective for preconception health interventions.
• Further research is needed to evaluate a wider array of digital delivery methods due to observed heterogeneity.
• Standardized approaches are required to adequately test diverse digital modalities in preconception care.