Mobile app to boost cardiovascular health and exercise motivation during pregnancy
The Role of Mobile Apps in Promoting Cardiovascular Health and Motivation to Exercise During Pregnancy
This trial will test whether using the BumptUp mobile exercise app for eight weeks helps healthy pregnant women in their second trimester increase motivation to exercise and improve cardiovascular measures.
Quick facts
| Phase | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 50 (estimated) |
| Ages | 18 Years to 45 Years |
| Sex | Female |
| Sponsor | Old Dominion University Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Norfolk, Virginia) |
| Trial ID | NCT07166822 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
Healthy, sedentary pregnant women at 20-24 weeks gestation who are 18-45 years old will be assigned to either receive access to the BumptUp exercise app for eight weeks or to a comparison group that does not use the app. Both groups will attend baseline and follow-up lab visits where researchers will measure motivation with questionnaires and objective cardiovascular outcomes including flow-mediated dilation (FMD), heart rate variability (HRV), and pulse wave velocity (PWV). The intervention is delivered via the participant's smartphone and targets increases in habitual physical activity and exercise motivation. Outcomes after the eight-week period will be compared between the app and non-app groups to see if the app produces measurable changes.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Ideal candidates are English-speaking, generally healthy pregnant women aged 18-45 with a single pregnancy at 20-24 weeks who are sedentary (under 90 minutes of exercise per week), own a smartphone, and are under routine prenatal care.
Not a fit: Women with diagnosed cardiovascular or metabolic disease, significant musculoskeletal injury, on medications that affect vascular function, with multiple gestation, or who are already regularly exercising are unlikely to gain benefit from this intervention.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the app could increase pregnant women's motivation to exercise and produce measurable improvements in vascular health during the second trimester.
How similar studies have performed: Prior mobile-app and prenatal exercise interventions have shown some success increasing activity and motivation, but objective improvements in FMD, HRV, and PWV during pregnancy remain largely untested.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Age: 18-45 years. * Pregnant women who are 20-24 weeks pregnant at enrollment * Sedentary, as defined by completing less than 90 minutes of exercise each week. * Generally healthy, uncomplicated pregnancies. * Free of physical limitations that may interfere with alterations in daily physical activity levels. * Single gestation. * Have a smartphone * Under the routine medical care of an obstetrician or certified nurse midwife during their current pregnancy. * Women speaking English. Exclusion Criteria: * Physician diagnosed cardiovascular/ vascular complications (heart disease, high blood pressure, Raynaud's phenomenon etc.) * Physician diagnosed metabolic diseases (diabetes, hypothyroidism) * Musculoskeletal injuries (broken bones, back pain, ankle sprain, muscle pull, etc.) * Medications that may impact blood vessel function such as hypertension medication (Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, Angiotensin receptor blocker, Calcium channel blocker, beta blocker), lipid lowering agents (statins), Nitrates, steroids, etc. * Complications associated with pregnancy that would be exacerbated by exercise such as lung disease, persistent spotting/bleeding or Placental Previa, premature labor, ruptured membranes, evidence of intrauterine growth restriction, pregnancy induced hypertension or pre-eclampsia, uncontrolled epileptic fits/seizures. * Smoking within the previous 3 months.
Where this trial is running
Norfolk, Virginia
- Old Dominion University — Norfolk, Virginia, United States (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Principal Investigator, PhD
- Email: lreynold@odu.edu
- Phone: 757-683-4974
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.