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Activity tracking devices in pregnancy: Understanding the participant experience in a longitudinal birth cohort
Ashley Redding1, Dionne Coates1, Andrea E Cassidy-Bushrow1,2
1Public Health Sciences, Henry Ford Health, Detroit, MI, USA.
Insights
Pregnant individuals found Fitbit devices usable for tracking physical activity (PA). Key barriers to compliance included app issues and busy schedules, with a preference for receiving PA guidance from healthcare providers.
Area of Science:
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Public Health
- Digital Health
Background:
- Understanding physical activity (PA) during pregnancy is crucial for developing effective interventions and enhancing prenatal care quality.
- The Research Enterprise to Advance Children's Health (REACH) study, specifically the REACH-Fitbit sub-study, aimed to explore the use of activity monitoring devices during pregnancy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess pregnant individuals' experiences with activity monitoring devices.
- To identify best practices for delivering physical activity information to pregnant individuals.
- To understand participant adherence to study protocols and factors influencing it.
Main Methods:
- Focus groups were conducted with participants of the REACH-Fitbit study who were pregnant and using an activity monitoring device.
- A semi-structured moderator guide facilitated discussions on device usability, protocol compliance, and preferred methods for receiving PA information.
- Virtual focus groups captured feedback on overall participant experience, adherence challenges, and dissemination of PA knowledge.
Main Results:
- Most participants, identifying as Black and aged 20-29, reported positive experiences and found the Fitbit usable and functional.
- Compliance with study protocols was supported by text reminders and research staff, but hindered by app problems, busy schedules, and forgetfulness.
- A majority (57%) did not receive PA information during prenatal care, yet participants desired guidance on safe types and amounts of exercise during pregnancy, preferring healthcare providers as a source.
Conclusions:
- Findings can inform future studies and interventions using similar technology, emphasizing the importance of incentives and clear communication for compliance.
- Enhanced participant engagement can be achieved through improved communication with research teams and addressing technological barriers.
- Future research should focus on bridging the gap between pregnant individuals' PA information needs and clinical care delivery, improving how healthcare providers share this guidance.
Background:
Improving understanding of physical activity (PA) during pregnancy can inform future interventions and support the delivery of high-quality prenatal care.
Objectives:
Within the longitudinal birth cohort Research Enterprise to Advance Children's Health (REACH), the sub-study REACH-Fitbit sought to understand the prenatal experiences of utilizing an activity monitoring device and best practices for receiving PA information.
Design:
REACH recruits gravid patients ⩾18 years old receiving prenatal care and planning to deliver at predefined hospitals. REACH-Fitbit participants had to be <20 weeks gestation with access to a Bluetooth-enabled device. Recruitment (self-selection) for focus groups occurred from completed REACH-Fitbit participants (e.g., delivered their baby).
Methods:
A semi-structured moderator guide was utilized to capture feedback on experiences, adherence to protocols, resources, and best practices for measuring PA during pregnancy. Two groups of six participants participated virtually, which included conversations about the overall participant experience, compliance with protocols, and opportunities for knowledge dissemination about PA.
Results:
The majority of focus group participants identified as Black, were between 20 and 29 years of age, and had positive feelings about the Fitbit, finding it usable and functional. Participants felt protocol compliance was facilitated by text message reminders and research team support, while barriers included Fitbit application problems, busy schedules, and forgetting. Participants preferred to receive PA information from a trusted healthcare source (e.g., doctor, nurse, or other healthcare provider), though most participants (57%) did not receive PA information during prenatal care. Participants were interested in learning about the safety, type, and amount of prenatal PA in which to engage.
Conclusion:
Findings presented here can support compliance in future studies or PA interventions utilizing similar technology. Incentives for compliance with study protocols and enhanced communication with the research team can improve participant engagement. Future work will address the need to communicate the interests of pregnant persons to clinical care teams, specifically, improvements to how providers share information on PA.
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