Abstract
The Supporting MumS library of text messages was developed with extensive personal and public involvement (PPI) to help with postpartum weight management and was successfully tested in a feasibility study in Northern Ireland. Before conducting an effectiveness trial, further PPI work was needed to ensure that the dietary and lifestyle advice offered within the SMS text message library was acceptable and culturally relevant for a wide range of women across the United Kingdom (UK). Recruitment was facilitated by existing community networks that helped capture a culturally diverse group of postpartum women who have struggled with their weight. Nineteen women took part in the PPI exercise: n = 4 African–Caribbean (living in London), n = 8 Asian (Bradford), n = 7 white (Scotland). The PPI work followed an iterative process with initial online group discussions, where selected text messages were reviewed and feedback was sought on their language, tone and cultural relevance. This was followed by message adaptation and re-review. Following initial group discussions to understand the main areas for adaptation, PPI work was carried out with individual mums who reviewed the entire library of text messages and provided feedback on all adaptations. Mums liked the humour and the supportive tone of the messages and approximately 15% of the messages were left unchanged. Suggested edits to ensure the messages were acceptable and relevant to women from a range of cultural backgrounds were minor in nature. Suggestions provided by PPI representatives were mainly in relation to broadening the relevance of snack ideas, recipes, food preparation advice, shopping habits (e.g., click and collect services) and workout ideas. Additional feedback included removing colloquialisms and idioms, the meaning of which may be confusing for somebody not familiar with them or a non-native English speaker (e.g., ‘run out of steam’). Personal and Public Involvement provided helpful suggestions for the cultural and regional adaptation of a lifestyle text message intervention in the postpartum period. The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the Supporting MumS study will be tested in a UK-wide trial.
Author Contributions
Conceptualization, M.M., S.B. and E.S.; methodology, E.S., L.C., E.A., S.A., S.B. and M.M.; formal analysis, E.S. and M.M.; investigation, E.S., L.C., E.A., S.A. and S.B.; resources, M.M., S.B. and P.H.; data curation, E.S. and L.C.; writing—original draft preparation, E.S.; writing—review and editing, L.C., E.A., S.A., S.B., P.H. and M.M.; supervision, M.M., S.B. and P.H.; project administration, M.M.; funding acquisition, M.M., S.B. and P.H. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding
This research was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (Research award: NIHR131509).
Institutional Review Board Statement
Not applicable.
Informed Consent Statement
Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in this research.
Data Availability Statement
Data generated for this work are available on request to the corresponding author.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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