Previous Article in Journal
Social Determinants of Health and 30-Day Readmission for Heart Failure Patients in U.S. Hospitals: Evidence from ICD-10 Z-Code Data
Previous Article in Special Issue
Why Functioning Should Be Used as a Population Health Indicator? A Discussion of a Chilean Population Study
 
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
Journals
Healthcare
Volume 13
Issue 17
10.3390/healthcare13172103
healthcare-logo
Submit to this Journal Review for this Journal Propose a Special Issue
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share Share announcement Help format_quote Cite
first_page
settings
Order Article Reprints
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Systematic Review

Effectiveness of the Internet of Things for Improving Pregnancy and Postpartum Women’s Health in High-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

by
Etsuko Nishimura
1,
Noyuri Yamaji
2,3,
Kiriko Sasayama
4,
Md. Obaidur Rahman
5,6,
Katharina da Silva Lopes
7,8,
Citra Gabriella Mamahit
9,
Mika Ninohei
10,
Phyu Phyu Tun
9,
Rina Shoki
11,
Daichi Suzuki
9,12,
Aya Nitamizu
13,
Daisuke Yoneoka
5,
Eiko Saito
4 and
Erika Ota
9,*
1
Faculty of Nursing, Komazawa Women’s University, Tokyo 206-8511, Japan
2
Institute of Clinical Epidemiology, Showa Medical University, Tokyo 142-8555, Japan
3
Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
4
Sustainable Society Design Center, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Chiba 277-0882, Japan
5
Department of Epidemiology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan Institute for Health Security, Tokyo 102-0071, Japan
6
Center for Evidence-Based Medicine and Clinical Research, Dhaka 1230, Bangladesh
7
Faculty of Health Science, University of Potsdam, 14469 Potsdam, Germany
8
Nezu Biotech GmbH, Tiergartenstrasse 15, 69121 Heidelberg, Germany
9
Graduate School of Nursing, St. Luke’s International University, Tokyo 104-0044, Japan
10
School of Nursing, Dokkyo Medical University, Tochigi 321-0293, Japan
11
Faculty of Nursing at Saitama, Japanese Red Cross College of Nursing, Saitama 338-0001, Japan
12
Institute for Global Health Policy Research, Bureau of Global Health Cooperation, Japan Institute for Health Security, Tokyo 162-8655, Japan
13
School of Nursing, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo 160-8402, Japan
 
add Show full affiliation list
 
remove Hide full affiliation list
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Healthcare 2025, 13(17), 2103; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13172103 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 1 May 2025 / Revised: 9 August 2025 / Accepted: 15 August 2025 / Published: 23 August 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Risks, Health Service, and Healthcare Supports for Vulnerable Populations)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Background/Objectives: The Internet of Things (IoT), integrated with application software, has increasingly been used to support health management through monitoring indicators like physical activity, sleep, and heart rate, in pregnant and postpartum women. However, limited evidence exists regarding its effectiveness in improving health outcomes for pregnant and postpartum women. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate and synthesize the role of IoT in enhancing the health outcomes of pregnant and postpartum women. Methods: A systematic search was conducted on 13 February 2023, across CENTRAL, CINAHL, ClinicalTrials.gov, Embase, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PubMed, and WHO ICTRP to identify all randomized controlled trials. Studies were included if they involved pregnant or postpartum women in high-income countries and used sensor-based data collection via smartphones or wearable devices. Two reviewers independently selected the studies, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias using the Cochrane Collaboration’s risk of bias assessment tool 2.0. We performed a pairwise meta-analysis using a random effects model. The findings were reported according to PRISMA guidelines. Results: Seven studies with 1638 pregnant and postpartum women were included in this review. Of the seven included studies, half targeted women with gestational diabetes and the other half targeted obese women. A meta-analysis revealed that IoT interventions may reduce gestational weight gain in women with obesity with a mean difference of −3.35 kg (95% confidence interval (CI): −5.23 to−1.46; I2 = 36%; two studies; 242 women; moderate certainty of evidence). Conclusions: This review suggested that IoT interventions may limit gestational weight gain in pregnant women with obesity. Future studies should evaluate the long-term effects of IoT-based interventions on maternal and neonatal health outcomes.
Keywords: Internet of Things; IoT; women’s health; pregnant women; postpartum women; meta-analysis; systematic review; high-income countries Internet of Things; IoT; women’s health; pregnant women; postpartum women; meta-analysis; systematic review; high-income countries

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Nishimura, E.; Yamaji, N.; Sasayama, K.; Rahman, M.O.; Lopes, K.d.S.; Mamahit, C.G.; Ninohei, M.; Tun, P.P.; Shoki, R.; Suzuki, D.; et al. Effectiveness of the Internet of Things for Improving Pregnancy and Postpartum Women’s Health in High-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Healthcare 2025, 13, 2103. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13172103

AMA Style

Nishimura E, Yamaji N, Sasayama K, Rahman MO, Lopes KdS, Mamahit CG, Ninohei M, Tun PP, Shoki R, Suzuki D, et al. Effectiveness of the Internet of Things for Improving Pregnancy and Postpartum Women’s Health in High-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Healthcare. 2025; 13(17):2103. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13172103

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nishimura, Etsuko, Noyuri Yamaji, Kiriko Sasayama, Md. Obaidur Rahman, Katharina da Silva Lopes, Citra Gabriella Mamahit, Mika Ninohei, Phyu Phyu Tun, Rina Shoki, Daichi Suzuki, and et al. 2025. "Effectiveness of the Internet of Things for Improving Pregnancy and Postpartum Women’s Health in High-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials" Healthcare 13, no. 17: 2103. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13172103

APA Style

Nishimura, E., Yamaji, N., Sasayama, K., Rahman, M. O., Lopes, K. d. S., Mamahit, C. G., Ninohei, M., Tun, P. P., Shoki, R., Suzuki, D., Nitamizu, A., Yoneoka, D., Saito, E., & Ota, E. (2025). Effectiveness of the Internet of Things for Improving Pregnancy and Postpartum Women’s Health in High-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Healthcare, 13(17), 2103. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13172103

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop