Feasibility of Telehealth and Innovative Technologies to Limit Excessive Gestational Weight Gain

Abstract

ObjectiveTo test the feasibility of using telehealth to deliver nutritional counseling by tracking gestational weight gain remotely using Bluetooth weight scales. DesignQuasi-experimental feasibility study. SettingOne-on-one nutritional counseling was conducted remotely via a telehealth platform using a registered dietitian. ParticipantsTwenty-nine pregnant individuals ages 18 years or older, between 12 and 27 weeks’ gestation, with a prepregnancy body mass index of ≥30 kg/m2, singleton fetus, and English proficiency were recruited for the study. Among the 29 potential participants, 20 completed the initial survey and met the criteria; 11 completed the study. MethodsThis study tested the feasibility of using telehealth to deliver nutritional counseling for 30 minutes, once a week, for 6 weeks. Self-weighing was tracked through a preconfigured Bluetooth scale given to study participants that enabled weight data to be automatically uploaded each time the scale was used. ResultsAmong the 11 study participants receiving Bluetooth scales, adherence to self-weighing was high (81%). All five participants randomized to nutritional counseling found that telehealth visits with a registered dietitian were easy to use and helpful. Although participants who received nutritional counseling gained 2.5 lb less than those who did not receive nutritional counseling (p = .523), there was no significant difference between the intervention group and historical control individuals (p = .716). ConclusionIncorporating telehealth for nutrition counseling and accurate remote weight data collection may be part of a comprehensive strategy to address gestational weight gain in high-risk pregnant populations. Further research with larger samples is needed.