부산대학교 도서관

INTRODUCTION:: The increasing popularity of pregnancy mobile applications raises the need for prenatal apps to include evidence-based content. We aimed to assess the potential for a health system-sponsored mobile app to improve health outcomes and increase healthy behaviors by providing personalized and reliable health information on pregnancy, postpartum recovery, and infant care. METHODS:: The study took place over 18 months at the Providence St. Joseph Health system in Portland, Oregon. Our sample included women who received prenatal care at a Providence clinic and had a live birth at a Providence hospital. We compared a treatment group (app users) and a control group (non-app users) using a self-reported health behavior survey and outcomes data from electronic medical records. Providence Health and Services IRB approved this study. RESULTS:: We enrolled 167 women in the treatment group and 400 in the control group. Compared to non-app users, app users had greater odds of breastfeeding beyond 6 months postpartum and of exercising three or more times per week during pregnancy. They also had lower odds of missed prenatal appointments. There was no significant impact of app use on nutritional measures or clinical outcomes, including premature births, low birth weight babies, and neonatal intensive care unit stays. CONCLUSION:: The use of a prenatal mobile app and access to personalized, evidence-based health information was associated with an increase in certain healthy behaviors, while there was no impact on clinical health outcomes. More research is needed to determine the impact of mobile prenatal apps on pregnancy and infant outcomes.