Towards the Developing and Designing of an Intervention to Promote Prenatal Physical Activity Using MomConnect (mHealth): A Formative Protocol
Abstract
1. Introduction
1.1. Objectives
1.2. Expected Outcome
2. Methodology
2.1. Research Design
2.2. Phase 1: Interviews and Prototype Development
- Do you think that exercise is beneficial to both mother and child and why?
- Do you think that prenatal physical activity and exercise during pregnancy reduce the risk of preterm labor, anxiety, enhance oxygen supply for the baby, and enable easy labor, and why?
- What strategies do you think can best increase your prenatal physical activity participation?
2.3. Phase 2: Assessment of Prototype Prenatal Messaging
- Would you be able to share your perspective on the text messages?
- Do you believe these messages would support women in increasing their physical activity?
- What improvements do you believe could enhance the messages?
- Which SMS message, out of all of them, would you prefer, and why?
2.4. Phase 3: Users’ Preferred Messages Acceptable Dosage
2.5. Pilot Study
2.6. Recruitment Potential Challenges
2.7. Data Analysis
2.8. Ethical Considerations
3. Discussion
4. Disseminating Findings
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Phase | Objective | Design | Population and Sample | Analysis | Outcome Measure |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
I | Conduct a scoping review on prenatal physical activity test SMS preferences and acceptability among pregnant women | Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) methodology for scoping review | Published articles meeting the selection criteria | Narrative synthesis | Evidence based on MomConnect’s effectiveness, efficiency, and acceptability as a facilitator of health behavioral outcomes |
Conduct formative research to determine a prenatal physical activity test SMS acceptable to pregnant women | Qualitative (interviews) | Pregnant women (purposive) | Case study approach | Content case-based themes of text message prototype development | |
II | Develop prototype prenatal physical activity text messages | Qualitative (interviews) | Prenatal care health providers (physicians, nurses/midwives) and pregnant women | Thematic content analysis | Feasibility and appropriateness of the prenatal physical activity test messages |
III | Determine the acceptable dose of prenatal physical activity test messages | Quantitative (cross-sectional survey) | Pregnant and non-pregnant women | Descriptive analysis (frequency and percentages) | Acceptability and preferred prenatal physical activity SMSs desirable for inclusion in MomConnect device |
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Okafor, U.B.; Goon, D.T.; van Niekerk, R.L. Towards the Developing and Designing of an Intervention to Promote Prenatal Physical Activity Using MomConnect (mHealth): A Formative Protocol. Methods Protoc. 2025, 8, 26. https://doi.org/10.3390/mps8020026
Okafor UB, Goon DT, van Niekerk RL. Towards the Developing and Designing of an Intervention to Promote Prenatal Physical Activity Using MomConnect (mHealth): A Formative Protocol. Methods and Protocols. 2025; 8(2):26. https://doi.org/10.3390/mps8020026
Chicago/Turabian StyleOkafor, Uchenna Benedine, Daniel Ter Goon, and Rudolph Leon van Niekerk. 2025. "Towards the Developing and Designing of an Intervention to Promote Prenatal Physical Activity Using MomConnect (mHealth): A Formative Protocol" Methods and Protocols 8, no. 2: 26. https://doi.org/10.3390/mps8020026
APA StyleOkafor, U. B., Goon, D. T., & van Niekerk, R. L. (2025). Towards the Developing and Designing of an Intervention to Promote Prenatal Physical Activity Using MomConnect (mHealth): A Formative Protocol. Methods and Protocols, 8(2), 26. https://doi.org/10.3390/mps8020026