A Pilot Study on the Impact of the BumptUp® Mobile App on Physical Activity during and after Pregnancy

Abstract

To combat maternal morbidity and mortality, interventions designed to increase physical activity levels during and after pregnancy are needed. Mobile phone-based interventions show considerable promise, and BumptUp® has been carefully developed to address the lack of exercise among pregnant and postpartum women. The primary goal of this pilot study was to test the potential efficacy of BumptUp® for improving physical activity among pregnant and postpartum women. A randomized controlled clinical trial was performed (N = 35) with women either receiving access to the mhealth app or an educational brochure. Physical activity and self-efficacy for exercise data were collected at baseline (in mid-pregnancy) and at three additional timepoints (late pregnancy, 6 and 12 weeks postpartum). For moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, a clear trend is observed as the mean estimated difference between groups increases from −0.35 (SE: 1.75) in mid-pregnancy to −0.81 (SE: 1.75) in late pregnancy. For self-efficacy for exercise, the estimated difference of means (control–intervention) changed from 0.96 (SE: 6.53) at baseline to −7.64 (SE: 6.66) in late pregnancy and remained at −6.41 (SE: 6.79) and −6.70 (SE: 6.96) at 6 and 12 weeks postpartum, respectively. When assessing the change in self-efficacy from mid-to -ate pregnancy only, there was a statistically significant difference between groups (p = 0.044). BumptUp® (version 1.0 (3)) shows potential for efficacy. Pilot data suggest key refinements to be made and a larger clinical trial is warranted.

Benefits of Resistance Training During Pregnancy for Maternal and Fetal Health: A Brief Overview

“…One such resource, BumptUp ® , is an evidence-based physical activity application that contains weekly prenatal exercise programming, over 250 individual exercises, and educational information all complete with suggestions for modification, videos, and written descriptions to coach women through safe resistance training during pregnancy. 68 Table 2 is an example block of a workout for pregnant women, designed for weeks 13-15 of pregnancy. During weeks 14 and 15, the movements remain the same, but the exerciser is encouraged to incrementally increase difficulty via an increased number of repetitions, resistance/weight, or time spent in the movement.…”

“…One such resource, BumptUp ® , is an evidence-based physical activity application that contains weekly prenatal exercise programming, over 250 individual exercises, and educational information all complete with suggestions for modification, videos, and written descriptions to coach women through safe resistance training during pregnancy. 68 …”

Understanding and Involving the Perspective of Pregnant Women as Users When Designing the Framework of e-Health and Exercise Interventions during Pregnancy: Preliminary Study

“…Nevertheless, there are pregnancy and exercise apps based on evidence regarding the potential to address the lack of exercise among pregnant and postpartum women [ 18 ], to increase perceived benefits and enjoyment [ 19 ], and to provide social support for exercise [ 20 ]. Another example is the SmartMoms Canada app, developed by Adamo et al [ 21 ] to promote adequate gestational weight gain and other healthy behaviors.…”

The Impact of Sustainable Exercise and the Number of Pregnancies on Self-Efficacy, Self-Esteem, and Assertiveness Levels in Pregnant Women

“…Pregnancy, a particularly emotional period in a woman's life, requires heightened physical and emotional self-care [25,26]. Regular exercise, beyond maintaining physical health, can boost psychological well-being, self-efficacy, self-esteem, and self-confidence in expectant mothers [27][28][29]. Furthermore, it acts as a vital instrument to manage weight gain during pregnancy.…”