Mobile Tech & Peer Health Coaching for Pregnant Black Teens

Overseen By Abigail Gamble, PhD, MS

Age: < 65

Sex: Female

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of Mississippi Medical Center

Disqualifiers: Physical activity restrictions, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

20 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether participants need to stop taking their current medications.

What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment #BabyLetsMove, Peer Health Coaching for pregnant Black teens?

Research shows that mobile health (mHealth) interventions can help promote healthy lifestyles and weight management, especially among racial and ethnic minority women. These interventions, which include personalized feedback and remote support, have been found to be acceptable and potentially effective in encouraging physical activity and improving health outcomes. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Is the mobile tech and peer health coaching intervention safe for pregnant Black teens?

The research articles reviewed do not provide specific safety data for the mobile tech and peer health coaching intervention for pregnant Black teens. However, similar digital health interventions have been used in studies with pregnant women and adolescent mothers, focusing on health education and support, without reported safety concerns. ^{5 6 7 8 9}

How does the Mobile Tech & Peer Health Coaching treatment for pregnant Black teens differ from other treatments?

This treatment is unique because it combines mobile technology with peer health coaching to support pregnant Black teens, focusing on improving health outcomes through social support and technology. Unlike traditional prenatal care, this approach uses mobile health (mHealth) tools to deliver information and support, which can be more accessible and engaging for teens. ^{10 11 12 13 14}

What is the purpose of this trial?

The proposed multicomponent digital health intervention has the potential to significantly impact the trajectory of maternal health in a rural, pregnant, Black adolescent population with the highest risks for cardiometabolic diseases worldwide. The proposed implementation strategy leverages mobile technologies which are ubiquitous across the socioeconomic gradient and proposes to train young adult WIC moms to deliver peer health coaching in a telehealth setting to address social barriers and support behavior change in pregnant, Black adolescent WIC clients in the Mississippi Delta - a rural region where the population is more than two-thirds percent Black and the teen birth rate is the highest in the United States. This is a scalable and sustainable approach to enhance WIC services and improve WIC's impact on population health and cardiometabolic health disparities in Black women.

Research Team

Abigail Gamble, PhD, MS

Principal Investigator

University of Mississippi Medical Center

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for Black or African American adolescent moms aged 15-18 years, who are more than six months postpartum, enrolled in WIC, speak English, and have at least a high school diploma or GED. They aim to help these young women improve their health after pregnancy.

Inclusion Criteria

#BabyLetsMove: 15- to 19-years old, Black or African American, <20 weeks' gestation, Enrolled in WIC, Residing in 1 of 8 Mississippi Delta Counties, English speaking, Own or have personal use of a mobile smart phone, Singleton pregnancy, Plan to carry the fetus to term and keep the infant after birth, No history of chronic medical conditions in the past year that could influence weight loss or gain

Exclusion Criteria

#BabyLetsMove: Restrictions on physical activity or exercise

Peer Health Coaches: Illiteracy

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Intervention

Participants engage in a 20-week multilevel, multicomponent digital health intervention to increase physical activity and reduce sedentary behavior.

20 weeks

Telehealth sessions with peer health coaching

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in physical activity, sedentary behavior, and weight gain from baseline to 36 weeks' gestation.

16 weeks

Treatment Details

Interventions

• #BabyLetsMove
• Peer Health Coaching

Trial Overview #BabyLetsMove and Peer Health Coaching are being tested as digital health interventions to support pregnant Black adolescents in the Mississippi Delta. The goal is to reduce risks of cardiometabolic diseases by addressing social barriers and promoting healthy behaviors.

Participant Groups

Group I: #BabyLetsMove Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

There are four digital components to the intervention including Fitbit activity tracker, interactive self-monitoring and tailored feedback text messages, tailored skills training text messages and materials, and peer health coaching.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of Mississippi Medical Center

Lead Sponsor

Trials

185

Recruited

200,000+

National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)

Collaborator

Trials

473

Recruited

1,374,000+

Mississippi State Department of Health

Collaborator

Trials

7

Recruited

1,600+

Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)

Collaborator

Trials

88

Recruited

152,000+

National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)

Collaborator

Trials

315

Recruited

251,000+

Findings from Research

A pilot study involving 50 obese black women tested a 6-month text messaging intervention for weight loss, showing that participants in the intervention group lost an average of 1.27 kg, while the control group gained weight, indicating potential efficacy of the text messaging approach.

The study found that 85% of participants engaged with the self-monitoring prompts at least twice a week, and many reported that the daily texting was easy and helpful, suggesting that text messaging could be a feasible tool for weight management in this population.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Daily text messaging for weight control among racial and ethnic minority women: randomized controlled pilot study. Steinberg, DM., Levine, EL., Askew, S., et al.[2021]

A 12-week mobile health (mHealth) intervention for university students showed some positive changes in weight and lifestyle behaviors, including a mean weight loss of 1.6 kg and increased physical activity.

Despite these improvements, the changes were not significantly different from the control group, suggesting that higher engagement and personalized support may be necessary for more effective outcomes.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A mobile health intervention for weight management among young adults: a pilot randomised controlled trial. Hebden, L., Cook, A., van der Ploeg, HP., et al.[2022]

A new smartphone app designed for pregnant women has successfully enrolled 2058 participants across all 50 states, allowing for large-scale data collection on factors influencing healthy pregnancies.

The study collected over 14,000 surveys and more than 107,000 daily measurements related to health metrics, demonstrating the app's potential to gather valuable data that can improve maternal and fetal health outcomes.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The Healthy Pregnancy Research Program: transforming pregnancy research through a ResearchKit app. Radin, JM., Steinhubl, SR., Su, AI., et al.[2020]

The peer-centered prenatal care program for adolescent mothers led to a lower rate of low birth weight babies (6.6% vs. 12.5%) compared to those receiving standard individual care, suggesting improved perinatal outcomes.

Participants in the experimental group were more likely to continue their education during and after pregnancy, indicating that the program may also support long-term educational goals for adolescent mothers.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effects of a prenatal care intervention for adolescent mothers on birth weight, repeat pregnancy, and educational outcomes at one year postpartum. Ford, K., Weglicki, L., Kershaw, T., et al.[2020]

A pilot study involving 120 pregnant women in Uganda showed that a mobile health messaging app significantly improved attendance at antenatal care visits and skilled deliveries, with 100% of women in the social supporter group attending at least 4 visits.

The app was highly accepted and deemed useful by over 90% of participants, indicating that leveraging social support networks through tailored messaging can effectively promote maternity service use in rural settings.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Evaluating the Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Efficacy of SupportMoms-Uganda, an mHealth-Based Patient-Centered Social Support Intervention to Improve the Use of Maternity Services Among Pregnant Women in Rural Southwestern Uganda: Randomized Controlled Trial. Atukunda, EC., Siedner, MJ., Obua, C., et al.[2023]

References

1. Switzerland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Usage of Digital Health Tools and Perception of mHealth Intervention for Physical Activity and Sleep in Black Women. [2022]

2. Canada pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Daily text messaging for weight control among racial and ethnic minority women: randomized controlled pilot study. [2021]

3. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A mobile health intervention for weight management among young adults: a pilot randomised controlled trial. [2022]

4. Canada pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Nonusage Attrition of Adolescents in an mHealth Promotion Intervention and the Role of Socioeconomic Status: Secondary Analysis of a 2-Arm Cluster-Controlled Trial. [2022]

5. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Targeting pregnancy-related weight gain to reduce disparities in obesity: Baseline results from the Healthy Babies trial. [2022]

6. Netherlands pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Design of a novel digital intervention to promote healthy weight management among postpartum African American women. [2023]

7. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

momHealth: A Feasibility Study of a Multibehavioral Health Intervention for Pregnant and Parenting Adolescent Mothers. [2022]

8. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

PretermConnect: Leveraging mobile technology to mitigate social disadvantage in the NICU and beyond. [2022]

9. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The Healthy Pregnancy Research Program: transforming pregnancy research through a ResearchKit app. [2020]

10. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

African-American and Latina adolescent mothers' infant feeding decisions and breastfeeding practices: a qualitative study. [2022]

11. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effects of a prenatal care intervention for adolescent mothers on birth weight, repeat pregnancy, and educational outcomes at one year postpartum. [2020]

12. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Short-Term Impacts of Pulse: An App-Based Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program for Black and Latinx Women. [2022]

13. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Pilot evaluation of the text4baby mobile health program. [2022]

14. Canada pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Evaluating the Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Efficacy of SupportMoms-Uganda, an mHealth-Based Patient-Centered Social Support Intervention to Improve the Use of Maternity Services Among Pregnant Women in Rural Southwestern Uganda: Randomized Controlled Trial. [2023]