Objectives: The objective of this trial was to investigate the effect of educational short message service (SMS), or text messages, on excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) in a low-income, predominantly overweight/obese population. Methods: Participants (n = 83) were mostly overweight/obese women recruited at Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) clinics on the island of O’ahu, Hawai’i at 15–20 weeks gestational age. The intervention group received SMS on nutrition and physical activity during pregnancy designed to help them meet Institute of Medicine (IOM) guidelines for GWG and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists guidelines for exercise, respectively. The control group received SMS about general health topics during pregnancy, excluding nutrition and physical activity. Both groups received one text message per week for eighteen weeks. GWG was defined as the difference between the last self-reported weight taken before delivery and participants’ self-reported weight before pregnancy. Differences between study groups were examined using t-tests and Chi-square tests. Linear regression models were used to examine association of GWG with study group and other factors. Results: GWG was similar (p = 0.58) in the control group (14.1 ± 11.4 kg) and the intervention group (15.5 ± 11.6 kg). The percentage of participants exceeding IOM guidelines for GWG was similar (p = 0.51) in the control group (50.0%, n = 17) and the intervention group (60.5%, n = 23). Conclusions: GWG was not significantly different between intervention and control groups. Trials that begin earlier in pregnancy or before pregnancy with longer intervention durations and varying message frequency as well as personalized or interactive messages may be needed to produce significant improvements.

To determine the impact of educational programs on immigrant groups in the United States, nutrition educators must have assessment and evaluation tools that use the language and vocabulary of the target population. Filipino Americans exhibit health disparities with regard to several conditions and are an important target for nutrition education. Currently, there are no existing rigorously tested tools in the Tagalog language which also have a low user burden and are designed to measure diet for assessment and evaluation of nutrition education programs. As these programs are generally evaluated using time-intensive dietary assessment tools not tailored specifically to Filipinos, they may not effectively characterize the diet of this population. Given the high adoption rates of mobile phones by populations outside of the United States, mobile apps may represent a best choice for developing tools to assist individuals recently migrating to the United States or speaking English as an additional language. Several tools of this nature have been developed for immigrant groups and hold promise in terms of acceptability. Examples of dietary assessment tools using technology developed for Spanish speakers in the United States are provided. These methods may also be appropriate for addressing the needs of immigrant groups such as Filipinos.

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Objectives The objective of this trial was to investigate the effect of educational short message service (SMS), or text messages, on gestational weight gain (GWG) in a low-income population. It was expected that the intervention group, which received text messages on nutrition and physical activity during pregnancy, would experience less GWG when compared to the control group. Methods Participants (n = 83) were recruited at WIC clinics on the island of O‘ahu, Hawai‘i at 15–20 weeks gestational age. Eligibility criteria were: body mass index (BMI) of 25–45 kg/m2 in the first trimester, 18 years of age or older at the time of recruitment, and possession of a cellular phone with the ability to receive text messages. After recruitment, participants were randomized into intervention (n = 42) and control (n = 41) groups. The intervention group received SMS on nutrition and physical activity during pregnancy per the Institute of Medicine and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists guidelines, respectively. The control group received SMS about general health topics during pregnancy. Both groups received one text message per week for eighteen weeks. GWG was defined as the difference between the last weight taken before delivery and participants’ self-reported weight before pregnancy. GWG in intervention and control groups was compared using a linear regression model. Results Women were age 27.7 ± 5.3y on average, 65.5% were Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander or American Indian, 54.8% had some college or more and 37.8% were employed. The average weight before pregnancy was higher in the intervention group (80.6 + 17.7 kg) than that in the control group (76.2 + 15.9 kg), but this difference was not significant (P = 0.24). GWG was lower in the control group (14.1 + 11.4 kg) compared to the intervention group (15.5 + 11.6 kg), but this result was not significant (P = 0.58). Conclusions There was no significant difference in gestational weight gain between the intervention and control groups. Trials that begin earlier in pregnancy or before pregnancy with longer interventions and more frequent messages are needed. Funding Sources Mountain West Clinical Translational Research Infrastructure Network under a grant from the National Institute of General Medicine Sciences of the National Institutes of Health.