Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Dec;20(12):1135-42.
doi: 10.1089/tmj.2013.0354.

The theory, development, and implementation of an e-intervention to prevent excessive gestational weight gain: e-Moms Roc

Meredith L Graham  1 , Keriann H Uesugi, Jeff Niederdeppe, Geri K Gay, Christine M Olson
Affiliations

The theory, development, and implementation of an e-intervention to prevent excessive gestational weight gain: e-Moms Roc

Meredith L Graham et al. Telemed J E Health. 2014 Dec.

Abstract

Background: Gaining more weight during pregnancy than is recommended by the Institute of Medicine is prevalent and contributes to the development of obesity in women. This article describes the development and use of e-Moms of Rochester (e-Moms Roc), an electronic intervention (e-intervention), to address this health issue in a socioeconomically diverse sample of pregnant women.

Materials and methods: Formative research in the form of intercept interviews, in-depth interviews, and focus groups was conducted to inform the design of the e-intervention. The Web site continuously tracked each participant's use of e-intervention features.

Results: An e-intervention, including Web site and mobile phone components, was developed and implemented in a randomized control trial. Formative research informed the design. Participants in all arms accessed blogs, local resources, articles, frequently asked questions, and events. Participants in the intervention arms also accessed the weight gain tracker and diet and physical activity goal-setting tools. Overall, 80% of women logged into the Web site and used a tool or feature at least twice. Among those in the intervention arm, 70% used the weight gain tracker, but only 40% used the diet and physical activity goal-setting tools.

Conclusions: To maximize and sustain potential usage of e-Moms Roc over time, the e-intervention included customized reminders, tailored content, and community features such as blogs and resources. Usage was comparable to those in other weight studies with young adults and higher than reported in a published study with pregnant women. This e-intervention specifically designed for pregnant women was used by the majority of women.

Keywords: behavioral health; e-health; education; mobile health.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

<b>Fig. 1.</b>
Fig. 1.
An integrative model of behavioral prediction. Reprinted with permission from Fishbein and Yzer.
<b>Fig. 2.</b>
Fig. 2.
Persuasive design applied to the pregnancy intervention. FAQs, frequently asked questions.
<b>Fig. 3.</b>
Fig. 3.
Weight gain tracker.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Institute of Medicine, National Research Council. Weight gain during pregnancy: Reexamining the guidelines. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2009 - PubMed
    1. Gardner B, Wardle J, Poston L, Croker H. Changing diet and physical activity to reduce gestational weight gain: A meta-analysis. Obes Rev 2011;12:e602–e620 - PubMed
    1. Streuling I, Beyerlein A, von Kries R. Can gestational weight gain be modified by increasing physical activity and diet counseling? A meta-analysis of interventional trials. Am J Clin Nutr 2010;92:678–687 - PubMed
    1. Skouteris H, Hartley-Clark L, McCabe M, et al. Preventing excessive gestational weight gain: A systematic review of interventions. Obes Rev 2010;11:757–768 - PubMed
    1. Tanentspaf I, Heitmann BL, Adegboye ARA. Systematic review of clinical trials on dietary interventions to prevent excessive weight gain during pregnancy among normal weight, overweight and obese women. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2011;11:81. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types