Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Dec 13, 2024
Date Accepted: Jul 3, 2025
Behavioral Change Intervention to Promote a Healthier Postpartum Lifestyle: A Pilot Study Utilizing Mixed Method
ABSTRACT
Background:
Research have shown that many mothers lack tools needed to motivate and support themselves in a healthy lifestyle after giving birth. A mobile health application (mHealth) has the potential to become a tool to accommodate this need. Accordingly, Healthy Together– a module in a general mHealth app, My Hospital including Podcasts, weight tracking and exercise videos - was developed.
Objective:
The aim was to assess mothers’ use of the behavioural intervention, Healthy Together, which aims to support new mothers in a healthier lifestyle. Further, it evaluates mothers’ experiences and attitudes when using the intervention.
Methods:
A mixed method pilot study was conducted and 34 women were included. From three weeks to six months postpartum, the women were granted access to Healthy Together. App activity was registered during the intervention period. All of the women received a questionnaire at the end of the intervention period, 28 responded. In addition, 18 women participated in an online, semi-structured interview.
Results:
Seventy percent of those who answered the questionnaire had used Healthy Together. About half of the users reported that the intervention had a positive influence on their health status, and 70% of the users stated they would recommend Healthy Together to others. By gradually introducing the mothers to new content, the mothers could more easily digest the information. Podcasts were, in general, the preferred information channel. Weight tracking reminders motivated some, while they had the opposite effect on others. The users seemed to be those who were more physically active and had a healthier diet prior to their pregnancy, compared to non-users. About one-third of the users experienced technical problems.
Conclusions:
This study demonstrates that Healthy Together potentially is a feasible tool to assist women in improving their postpartum lifestyle. Further research with a larger sample is needed to assess the impact on the women’s lifestyles and health status.
Citation
Per the author's request the PDF is not available.
Copyright
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