JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Gestational weight gain exceeding the recommendations of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) (in the United States) is associated with a host of adverse maternal and infant health outcomes. While many behavioral interventions have been developed to promote gestational weight gain within the IOM guidelines, engagement and results are variable. Technology-mediated interventions can potentially increase the feasibility, acceptability, and reach of interventions, particularly for pregnant women, for whom integration of interventions into daily life may be critical to retention and adherence. Previous reviews highlight gestational weight gain self-monitoring as a common intervention component. With the rapid advances in technology-mediated interventions, a focused synthesis of literature examining the role of digital self-monitoring tools in managing gestational weight gain is warranted.

Objective:

The proposed review aims to summarize and synthesize the emerging research base evaluating digital GWG self-monitoring interventions for managing GWG during pregnancy.

Methods:

The present protocol describes a planned and systematic approach to identify, evaluate, and synthesize relevant and recent empirical work examining the use of digital weight self-monitoring tools in the context of technology-mediated interventions to manage gestational weight gain.

Results:

The research protocol was registered with PROSPERO under 204820. The queries have been executed and articles have been screened for inclusion. Data extractions are expected to be finished by August 2023. The systematic review that will be generated from this protocol will offer evidence for the use of digital self-monitoring tools in the management of GWG.

Conclusions:

The planned, focused synthesis of relevant literature has the potential to inform the use of digital weight self-monitoring tools in the context of future technology-mediated interventions to manage gestational weight gain. In addition, the planned review has the potential to contribute as part of a broader movement in research toward empirically supporting the inclusion of specific components within more extensive, multi-component interventions to balance parsimony and effectiveness. Clinical Trial: This protocol has been registered in the PROSPERO registry under #204820.