Mobile app to boost cardiovascular health and exercise motivation during pregnancy

Is this trial a fit for you?

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

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.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

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 it's running

• Old Dominion University
  Norfolk, Virginia, United States Recruiting

Study contacts

• Study coordinator: Principal Investigator, PhD
• Email: lreynold@odu.edu
• Phone: 757-683-4974

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How to take part

1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.