JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Sleep disruptions are common during pregnancy, and associated with increased risk for adverse maternal outcomes such as pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, prolonged labor, and cesarean birth. Given the morbidity associated with poor sleep, cost-effective approaches to improving sleep that can be disseminated in community or clinical settings are needed. Personal health monitoring (PHM) devices offer an opportunity to promote behavior change, but their acceptability and efficacy at improving sleep in pregnant women are unknown. OBJECTIVE: To describe the protocol for an ongoing pilot randomized controlled trial that aims to establish the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary efficacy of using a PHM device (Misfit Shine 2) to promote sleep during pregnancy. METHODS: The proposed pilot study is a 12-week, parallel arm, randomized controlled trial. Pregnant women, at 24 weeks gestation, will be randomized at 1:1 ratio into a 12-week sleep education plus PHM device or sleep education alone comparison group. The primary outcomes will be measures of feasibility (i.e., recruitment, enrollment, adherence) and acceptability (i.e., participant satisfaction). The secondary outcomes will be self-reported sleep quality and duration, excessive daytime sleepiness, fatigue, depressive symptoms, and birth outcomes (e.g., delivery methods). DISCUSSION: This study will be the first to apply a PHM device as a tool for promoting self-management of sleep among pregnant women. PHM devices have the potential to facilitate behavioral interventions as they include theory-driven, self-regulatory techniques such as behavioral self-monitoring. The results of the study will inform the development of a sleep health intervention for pregnant women.