Health Professionals' and Postpartum Women's Perspectives on Digital Health Interventions for Lifestyle Management in the Postpartum Period: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies.

Siew Lim,Seonad Madden,Andrea Tan,Briony Hill

doi:10.3389/fendo.2019.00767

Siew Lim, Seonad Madden + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2019.00767

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Abstract

Objective: To explore postpartum women and health professionals' perspectives of digital health interventions (DHIs) for lifestyle management in postpartum women.Design: A systematic review and thematic synthesis of peer-reviewed qualitative studies. Relevant databases were searched from 1990 to 2019. Study quality was appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) Qualitative Checklist.Setting and participants: Studies describing postpartum women's or health professionals' views regarding DHIs for lifestyle management in postpartum women.Findings: Nine studies with postpartum women were included in the thematic synthesis. Four common themes emerged: “personal facilitators and barriers to lifestyle modification,” “intervention-related strategies for lifestyle modification,” “user experience of the technology,” “suggestions for improvement.” The review indicated that DHIs are highly acceptable among postpartum women. Postpartum women valued behavior change strategies that were delivered through DHIs including goal-setting and self-monitoring, however personal barriers such as lack of motivation or childcare priorities were cited.Key conclusions and implications for practice: DHIs should be considered for lifestyle management in postpartum women. The development of DHIs should focus on delivering behavior change strategies and addressing practical barriers faced by postpartum women.

Highlights

Individuals with overweight or obesity represent over half of the global adult population (1)
This review aimed to describe the perspectives of postpartum women and health professionals regarding Digital health interventions (DHIs) targeting lifestyle or weight management in the postpartum period
This systematic review described the perspectives of postpartum women on DHIs targeting lifestyle management in the postpartum period, with no studies reporting on the perspectives of health professionals

Summary

Introduction

Individuals with overweight or obesity represent over half of the global adult population (1). Up to 50% of women gain excessive weight during pregnancy, predisposing. Postpartum weight retention, in turn, leads to high preconception weight status entering subsequent pregnancies (2). Excessive gestational weight gain, and PPWR are associated with a host of adverse maternal outcomes including infertility (6), pregnancy complications such as gestational diabetes and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (7, 8), and cesarean delivery (9), as well as poorer offspring outcomes including stillbirth (10), and macrosomia (7). There are long-term consequences for the development of overweight or obesity in offspring (11). The postpartum period is an opportune time to intervene to promote the return to prepregnancy weight and potentially stem the intergenerational cycle of obesity

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Conclusion